This has been around for awhile, but I hadn't seen it before and it made me smile, so up it goes :)
The original scene
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A monster, a lost soul, or something in between?
Two weeks after the shocking shootings in Tucson, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been transferred this weekend to a rehab facility in Houston to continue her remarkable recovery from her brain injury. A nine-year-old girl, a federal judge and four others were murdered that day, and 13 were wounded. An unsettling mugshot was taken of the gunman, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, after his arrest
As news began to come out of Loughner’s mental health history, prior arrests for petty crimes and difficulties with work and school, I found myself feeling some empathy for this kid, as despicable as his actions were. Not much seems to be known about his parents to date or how they may or may not have tried to help with his issues, but it is extremely difficult for a kid this age today to get help for mental health problems until they snap, as this kid did. After a child turns eighteen, parents are essentially powerless to intervene on behalf of their child if s/he needs help for psychiatric problems unless and until the child presents a danger to self or others, which is often too late for any meaningful assistance to take place. Individuals over 18 are also free to refuse medications or treatment on their own behalf.
It is known Loughner was clearly disturbed and perceived as a threat by classmates and teachers who interacted with him at his community college, and he was removed from campus by security several times before eventually being kicked out of the school. His YouTube presence is also ominous. However, he never hurt anyone prior to the shootings, he just was “weird” – not enough for a parent or anyone else to intervene in a way such as having him involuntarily committed.
While Loughner may not have had a clear concept of the fact that he was mentally ill, he did seem to comprehend that to have any shot at success in life he needed to get and keep a job, get some education and/or serve in the military. He tried to join the Army but was rejected, he was attempting to attend community college, and he was also attempting to hold a job, albeit unsuccessfully due to his psychiatric issues and lack of self-control. It has been reported that he once complained about having filled out 65 job applications without one resulting interview – a pretty demoralizing situation for most anyone, let alone a person with no coping skills and an untreated psychiatric disorder. In his malfunctioning mind he somehow blamed Rep. Giffords for this predicament, and thus a tragedy occurred.
The politicization of this event is offensive and ridiculous, but unfortunately inevitable. While I certainly favor more efforts toward civil discourse and less inflammatory rhetoric, the fact is this is a public health issue, not a political one. Loughner didn’t do this because he favored the “left” or the “right” – he did this because he was a delusional untreated mentally ill individual. This kid was trying to use the only means he saw as available to him – work, school, the Internet and the military – to deal with his profound problems on his own. This simply should not happen, but we all know it does every day. Early and consistent intervention, especially after age 18, may have prevented this horrible event – is that not worth the cost?
Neal Conan of the NPR show “Talk of the Nation” recently featured Jeanette Halton-Tiggs on his show. Ms. Halton-Tiggs is the mother of a violently mentally ill son who was recently sentenced to prison for gunning down a police officer. She describes all the efforts she made to get her son help, as well as warn people that he was dangerous and would hurt someone someday. Not only was she unsuccessful in getting him help because he was over 18, her own family members even treated her as if she were overreacting. Dave Cullen also joins the discussion – he is the author of Columbine, his extensively researched book on that massacre. His book debunks many myths surrounding that horrible occurrence, and dissects the mainstream media coverage of the event, exposing irresponsible lies and stoking of rhetorical fires.
Parents Judged When Their Children Commit Murder - Talk of the Nation, January 17, 2011
Thanks for reading and listening.
As news began to come out of Loughner’s mental health history, prior arrests for petty crimes and difficulties with work and school, I found myself feeling some empathy for this kid, as despicable as his actions were. Not much seems to be known about his parents to date or how they may or may not have tried to help with his issues, but it is extremely difficult for a kid this age today to get help for mental health problems until they snap, as this kid did. After a child turns eighteen, parents are essentially powerless to intervene on behalf of their child if s/he needs help for psychiatric problems unless and until the child presents a danger to self or others, which is often too late for any meaningful assistance to take place. Individuals over 18 are also free to refuse medications or treatment on their own behalf.
It is known Loughner was clearly disturbed and perceived as a threat by classmates and teachers who interacted with him at his community college, and he was removed from campus by security several times before eventually being kicked out of the school. His YouTube presence is also ominous. However, he never hurt anyone prior to the shootings, he just was “weird” – not enough for a parent or anyone else to intervene in a way such as having him involuntarily committed.
While Loughner may not have had a clear concept of the fact that he was mentally ill, he did seem to comprehend that to have any shot at success in life he needed to get and keep a job, get some education and/or serve in the military. He tried to join the Army but was rejected, he was attempting to attend community college, and he was also attempting to hold a job, albeit unsuccessfully due to his psychiatric issues and lack of self-control. It has been reported that he once complained about having filled out 65 job applications without one resulting interview – a pretty demoralizing situation for most anyone, let alone a person with no coping skills and an untreated psychiatric disorder. In his malfunctioning mind he somehow blamed Rep. Giffords for this predicament, and thus a tragedy occurred.
The politicization of this event is offensive and ridiculous, but unfortunately inevitable. While I certainly favor more efforts toward civil discourse and less inflammatory rhetoric, the fact is this is a public health issue, not a political one. Loughner didn’t do this because he favored the “left” or the “right” – he did this because he was a delusional untreated mentally ill individual. This kid was trying to use the only means he saw as available to him – work, school, the Internet and the military – to deal with his profound problems on his own. This simply should not happen, but we all know it does every day. Early and consistent intervention, especially after age 18, may have prevented this horrible event – is that not worth the cost?
Neal Conan of the NPR show “Talk of the Nation” recently featured Jeanette Halton-Tiggs on his show. Ms. Halton-Tiggs is the mother of a violently mentally ill son who was recently sentenced to prison for gunning down a police officer. She describes all the efforts she made to get her son help, as well as warn people that he was dangerous and would hurt someone someday. Not only was she unsuccessful in getting him help because he was over 18, her own family members even treated her as if she were overreacting. Dave Cullen also joins the discussion – he is the author of Columbine, his extensively researched book on that massacre. His book debunks many myths surrounding that horrible occurrence, and dissects the mainstream media coverage of the event, exposing irresponsible lies and stoking of rhetorical fires.
Parents Judged When Their Children Commit Murder - Talk of the Nation, January 17, 2011
Thanks for reading and listening.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
I'm feeling lazy today, so I'll let Time magazine do my work for me :)
50 Best Websites of 2010
See, that was easy :) I visit and read almost all of these sites! I could have written these posts! What does that say about me? Nevermind, don't wanna know...
Best Blogs of 2010
The last five blogs listed are categorized as "overrated," and I completely agree that they are, especially Perez. He really should just go away.
The Smartest People of 2010, by The Daily Beast
Kanye West? Really?
Can't miss Dave Barry's review of 2010.
And finally, for my nephew who shares with me the terrible compulsion to laugh when people fall, one of the top viral videos of 2010
Wishing anyone who may stop by a fantastic 2011!
50 Best Websites of 2010
See, that was easy :) I visit and read almost all of these sites! I could have written these posts! What does that say about me? Nevermind, don't wanna know...
Best Blogs of 2010
The last five blogs listed are categorized as "overrated," and I completely agree that they are, especially Perez. He really should just go away.
The Smartest People of 2010, by The Daily Beast
Kanye West? Really?
Can't miss Dave Barry's review of 2010.
And finally, for my nephew who shares with me the terrible compulsion to laugh when people fall, one of the top viral videos of 2010
Wishing anyone who may stop by a fantastic 2011!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)