I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother by Lisa Long

[Karen]

I read the article. Why did you not post your own opinion, Candace?

It is a difficult topic. Getting a mentally ill person the right care - never mind determining what the right care is - can be difficult at best, and nearly impossible at other times. It is not an easy topic, ever. I have had personal experience dealing with this issue, thankfully not with an immediate family member.

And whose responsibility is it, when a child is mentally ill? What should be done with that child, in a case like the author's son? And how about an adult - someone over the age of 18? What then?

I saw a comment on the thread sarcastically asking why it is always mentioned that the killer was "very intelligent" - sadly, that may be the case, and why some of them are so dangerous, as their won intelligence, used in the wrong direction, can cause a bigger tragedy than otherwise might happen. We rarely hear when these attacks are foiled, for example. No one ever publishes an article about a family whose child decided to perpetrate something like this, but stopped him or her. Or the desperate individuals that commit suicide, just don't decide to take a bunch of people with themselves. That doesn't make the news, but tragedy does.

[Freedom]

Once the person is age 18, s/he is not considered a 'child' for this purpose. There is little if anything a parent or family member can do. You have to be able to prove the person is a danger to himself or others. It is extremely frustrating! Leaving the routine of school, trying to make their own way in the world, this is often part of what tips the balance for the person, for keeping slim hold on the illness; and then, onlookers are helpless to get action.

[Catty1]

Being in Canada I hesitate sometimes to post my opinion in the original post.

However, since support for mental health care in Canada is no picnic either I agree with Ms. Long that re-opening and staffing mental health centres would be a good starting point. I would hope that some of the funding could be diverted from the corrections department as prison overcrowding is due to the number of people with mental illnesses taking up the space.

I don't in which state it exists, but there is the Baker act which enables someone to be involuntarily committed for a psychiatric assessment.

And we as individuals need to keep our ears and eyes open for 'signs', whatever they may be.

[Catty1]

Both sides of this have to be tackled IMO.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/democrats-m...064738993.html

WASHINGTON - Democrats say meaningful action in the wake of last week's elementary school shooting must include a ban on military-style assault weapons and a look at how the U.S. deals with individuals suffering from serious mental illness.

(Emphasis mine).

[Karen]

involuntarily committed for a psychiatric assessment.

Yup - but it's a limited thing, a "72-hour psych hold" - and once that is over, what does one do? Especially with someone intelligent enough to "fool" the system, or just sign themselves out. You cannot make someone get help if they do not want it.

[Catty1]

I wonder if the law could be changed so that a person would be held until they agreed to\had the assessment? I can see the personal rights issue being brought in here, but any future casualties have rights too.