Much of the conversation that has sprung up over a long, difficult weekend appears to categorize all mental illness as though it's some uniform entity. It's an extremely dangerous opinion to hold.
"We can't lump all people with mental illness together into one big 'crazy' pot, it stigmatizes the ill and disconnects us, as a society, from their humanity," writes Jezebel's Laura Beck.
She's right. For starters, we don't even know what Lanza may or may not have been suffering from, or many of the details that ultimately led to his actions on Friday morning.
What we do know is that mental illness is an incredibly complex, varied and vital issue and a more informed, sensitive approach is necessary in order to help those suffering feel safe enough to get the assistance they need.
"We need to support them and we need to care for them, not leave them alone," Dr. David Samadi tells
Fox News.
This motivation is part of a flurry of articles that have sprung up this weekend about how to recognize the signs of mental illness in a family member and what to about it.
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