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| Mass murderer James Holmes (left) with his lawyer. |
What do James Holmes, Adam Lanza and Jared Lee Loughner have in common? If you’ve paid any attention to the violent acts these individuals committed then you know, thanks to the drive-by media who gave these gunmen their 15 minutes of fame, that they all went on mass murder sprees.
The question is did you know these mentally disturbed individuals and countless others before them either attempted to seek, were urged by family and friends to seek, refused to seek, or were already undergoing psychiatric care prior to picking up the gun?
Last month a report released by the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate profiled Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza noting "missed opportunities" by Lanza's mother, the school district, and multiple health care providers. It identified "warning signs, red flags, or other lessons that could be learned from a review of [Lanza's] life."
In a 2013 article on CNN titled “’My son is mentally ill’ so listen up “ more than 60 million adults – 1 in 4 in America suffer from mental illness ranging from panic disorders to depression. Of those nearly 14 million, almost 6 in 100 live with a serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe depression.
Mental illness will play a major role as jury selection begins in the trial of Aurora shooter James Holmes Jan. 20 in Colorado. Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the murders of 12 people and injuring 70 others at a movie theater on July 20, 2012.
"The public is going to get an insight into the mind of a killer who says he doesn't know right from wrong," said Alan Tuerkheimer, a Chicago-based jury consultant. "It is really rare. It just doesn't usually come to this."
“People should have been alerted that he (Loughner) needed mental health treatment,” said one. “Had this happened the violent acts would never have taken place.”
Maybe the next time another mass shooting happens in Anywhere, USA be it the local church, shopping mall, school, movie theater, restaurant, a military base or the workplace, instead of playing “the blame game”, start asking yourself what kind of psychological treatment was that individual who pulled the trigger getting, if any.
©1/21/15
The question is did you know these mentally disturbed individuals and countless others before them either attempted to seek, were urged by family and friends to seek, refused to seek, or were already undergoing psychiatric care prior to picking up the gun?
Last month a report released by the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate profiled Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza noting "missed opportunities" by Lanza's mother, the school district, and multiple health care providers. It identified "warning signs, red flags, or other lessons that could be learned from a review of [Lanza's] life."
Lanza is just one case where signs of mental illness were completely ignored. When it comes to mass shootings mental illness is never the first thing mentioned as being the cause of that person’s rage. Instead, “the blame game” is pushed off on the AK-47 assault rifle the individual used, violent movies, rock music, comic books and the Internet. Whatever happened to blaming the person who pulled the trigger and the continuing breakdown of the nation’s mental health care system as the reason why so many of these mass shootings keep happening?I couldn’t help but laugh when I read that the ten families who lost their children in the Sandy Hook shootings in December 2012 filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bushmaster, the manufacturer of the firearm Lanza used. Here we go again! Distraught families file lawsuits blaming the gun when the real focus needs to be how and whether or not the healthcare system is properly treating potentially violent individuals who could be bent on committing mass murder.
In a 2013 article on CNN titled “’My son is mentally ill’ so listen up “ more than 60 million adults – 1 in 4 in America suffer from mental illness ranging from panic disorders to depression. Of those nearly 14 million, almost 6 in 100 live with a serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe depression.
What I find especially troubling is the stigma “normal” people hold against those who are being treated for mental illness. I am willing to bet if someone told you that he or she is under psychiatric care and taking medications to help get their mind straight the first thought going through your head will be, “should I get myself a bullet proof vest in case that person decides to one day go postal?”Maybe if people did some actual research on the different kinds of bipolar disorder they wouldn’t jump to so many ridiculous conclusions. Perhaps if people were not so consumed with their personal lives that when they see someone who may be troubled they could take time out of their hectic schedules and ask that person, “How’s it going?” instead of saying to oneself, “Well that’s just so-so. That’s just the way they are. Nothing to worry about.” Until it’s too late. Then come the media interviews from people who knew the shooters who say, “Gee I didn’t know the guy had any serious personal problems.”
Mental illness will play a major role as jury selection begins in the trial of Aurora shooter James Holmes Jan. 20 in Colorado. Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the murders of 12 people and injuring 70 others at a movie theater on July 20, 2012.
"The public is going to get an insight into the mind of a killer who says he doesn't know right from wrong," said Alan Tuerkheimer, a Chicago-based jury consultant. "It is really rare. It just doesn't usually come to this."
I don’t know if Holmes’ lawyers will be able to spare him the death penalty. What I do believe is the only way these mass shootings will end is when politicians and the drive-by media stop playing “the blame game” and start looking at what more can be done to treat the mentally ill.Just ask one victim who survived Jared Lee Loughner’s attempted assassination on U.S. representative Gabrielle Giffords in January 2011. Loughner plead guilty to 19 charges of murder and attempted murder in August 2012 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
“People should have been alerted that he (Loughner) needed mental health treatment,” said one. “Had this happened the violent acts would never have taken place.”
Maybe the next time another mass shooting happens in Anywhere, USA be it the local church, shopping mall, school, movie theater, restaurant, a military base or the workplace, instead of playing “the blame game”, start asking yourself what kind of psychological treatment was that individual who pulled the trigger getting, if any.
©1/21/15
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