So I received an email from Mental Health America. I am a member and receive their updates and
breaking news. Of course with all the
proposed legislation going down with what I affectingly term “weapons and
insanity,” there are big changes proposed.
If you are on board with everything going down in legislation right now,
you may want to quit reading this blog, as I am likely to offend you. I am not interested in changing anyone’s
mind. I am simply expressing my thoughts
on what is happening in the mental health sector. You may agree or no. There is room here for either view. I’m just expressing from a view point you may
not have encountered.
So, Mental Health America is excited and is applauding the
President for finally getting on board with mental health by extending access
to services and making mental health a priority through the “GUN VIOLENCE ACT”. So, if you are just falling off the apple
cart here, and you see that you, as a person off your nut (forgive the mixed
food metaphors...I’m on a diet and food is uppermost at present), can get
services through an act that addresses guns and violence, would not you pause
for a brief moment before skipping to your nearest health care provider,
assuming you even have insurance that covers healthcare issues?
Hmmm. I gotta tell
you, as a person who has a gun and is also mentally ill, I am a bit reticent about
the ACT these new expansions are falling under.
I can honestly tell you that I have never, in my most insane moments,
considered taking a gun and killing a group of individuals. But I certainly fit the requirements of those
being addressed in this act. Oh, except
I’m not in my twenties and am not male (a general and vague profile of those perpetrating
these horrific crimes). Moving on...
According to the new link I was sent, a task force has been
established (sounds ominous) and is going to provide a “sea of change in the
way we view mental health in this country.”
That makes me a little nervous, as someone who is mentally ill, since
the impetus for a new view started with heinous shootings by individuals termed
mentally ill (though more likely personality disorders). I ask you, if you are from a culture that has
gone from being largely ignored to suddenly becoming a pariah, would you want
to have it shown you are a part of that culture?
They (being unnamed sums who are now invested in addressing
mental health, after decades of ignoring it and being told by those of us in
the mental health care profession that things were getting worse), are now
going to swoop in an “fix” the issue.
So, even though the general population of those who are gun carrying
mentally ill persons do not fit the profile of the individuals who have
committed such horrific crimes, there will be ramifications for all of us. Greater good?
Hmmm.
And here is another thought to consider. Now, we are going to start addressing mental
health in schools, something I have long been saying needs to be done as 75% of
mental illnesses present before the brain is fully developed by the mid
twenties. Prevention is the way to go,
but I wonder who is going to do this educating?
And where is the funding going to come from to do so? Teachers are maxed out, frankly, and their
funding is as well. Mental health doesn’t
even have enough funding to treat those individuals who actually pursue
treatment. I know because I have been
through the system. So, who is going to
educate on mental health? Who is going
to screen? And with what? Oh, I know.
We have not worked out all the bugs yet...
I think it is a good thing that mental health is being
addressed, but if the powers involved think they are going to address and eradicate
stigma on one hand with “conversations and talks” about it, whilst screening
and then providing personal information that could eliminate 2nd amendment
rights on the other, they are living in a fantasy world.
My perspective on this comes from a couple different
scenarios and a knowledge base about human behavior. After years and years of working with individuals
with severe mental illness, I have uncovered a couple of patterns. One of those patterns is that it seems more
likely that men will be more unwilling to address severe mental illness than
women. I’m making a generalization here
from my own observations, so don’t quote me.
My theory is that so much about men has to do with their feeling of
strength whether physical or through work, and mental illness attacks both,
leaving the individual powerless. The
men I have talked to over the years just cannot accept their mental illness,
and they have expressed to me that accepting it makes them feel impotent. So, you have a population of men (I am not
leaving women out here, because women also fit these categories I’m stating,
just sidelining them).
Another generalization here, but I would wager to say men
tend to carry guns more than women. You
also have more men serving in the military (another generalization). You have this particular population getting
out of the military, having mental health issues (namely PTSD), and not
receiving treatment prior to implementation of this new ACT. What do you think the likelihood will be now
of them getting treatment? Before it was
stigma. Now with Biden’s new task force,
a person who receives treatment and is perceived by a mental health care
professional as unstable or a threat can be flagged to have his or her 2nd
amendment rights revoked. HIPPA anyone? And that is a tremendous amount of power for
one individual to wield over another.
So, given my theory, let’s look at our military. You have a person trained in lethal combat,
who has done his (or her) time for the country.
Having done so, damage is done in a mental capacity. The person has PTSD. Do you think that individual is going to go
get help with this new legislation coming down the pike? I sure wouldn’t. So, we have the potential of someone trained
in combat with a mental health issue...Based on the legislation, a prime
candidate to be flagged as not being able to have a gun, don’t you think? Never mind they have the illness due to service
to their country and the freedoms therein, which include (for now) the right to
bear arms.
Here is what ticks me off.
This ACT is not really targeting the population that is committing such
crimes. Hello! Just as gun control will really only serve to
restrict those who already abide by the laws of the land, so new mental health
care legislation will really only impact those who are trying to live healthy
lives with mental illness in tow in a negative way. It will ameliorate bridges established to get
people in to get treatment, and it will further establish stigma in society as
a whole, but more importantly and more severely, in those individuals who actually
have severe mental illness.
I know Mental Health America is excited in part due to the
parity bill being passed which has a lot of good things in it for helping
individuals will mental illness, but what is the trade off? The President did state that mentally ill
individuals are far more likely to be victims than to perpetuate crimes, but
you do not have to be a sociologist or anthropologist to see where this could
go. So what to do?
For my part, I’m watching.
That may sound passive, but I’m waiting to see which way the wind blows,
and I’m attempting to remain realistic.
Personally, I’m in danger of losing more than my right to bear
arms. I’m in danger of losing my privacy. Professionally, I can see possibilities
opening up as demand for those involved with abnormal psychology
increases. But I’m not as concerned for
me as I am for those individuals for whom this ACT may be a death toll for
mental health.
I’m praying some wisdom shows up on the scene, along with
some intelligence. News flash, a person
who is unable to carry a gun is certainly able to find other ways to perpetuate
a horrific crime. We have multiple past
bombings as support. AND if a crime is pre-meditated,
there is an indication of rationale, which would exclude many mental illnesses
and throw such individuals in the category of personality disorder which is NOT
mental illness per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
So, I would challenge those who deal with mental health
issues, to really look at what is going on around you. Do you have a support system? Do they believe in you and would protect your
right to privacy as they are scrambling to protect the 2nd amendment. It is valuable to look at all involved here
to ascertain who all could be losing what and what will be gained.
Thanks for reading as I expound on my 1st amendment
right!
L
