Prayers for the VA Tech folks

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Prayers for the VA Tech folks
4
Thu, 04-19-2007 - 12:00am

This one has hit me really weird, the buildings on the campus look SO much like those of the local commuter college DD attends and the small town college family there is so much like the atmosphere at the private college, she attended last year.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-15-2004
Thu, 04-19-2007 - 9:51am


hi kcisis,

Even thought I also say prayers for the ones that survived, and the surviving teaching staff. I also would like to say a prayer for the shooter. He suffered needlessly. When the college knew he was mentally, unstable something could have been done to prevent the carnage. As the news report stated there were a lot of red flags thrown a mental health professionals by students and staff members.

Even though everyone has the right to privacy as far a medical conditions are concerned, if a person is posing as a threat to self and the community, then by all means, authority figures should perform the legal duty of detaining that person.

In my past, when I went to a mental health clinic, and when I spoke with a mental health professional and when I was asked if I was going to harm either myself or someone else, I was honest enough (even through the inevitability of being hospitalized)to say what my intentions were. I got cold feet, but eventually, I was hospitalzed immediately.

I know that all persons that are mentally ill, are not going to be of the mind to admit that they are in trouble, but when someone as sick as this guy was, (and as a person with a mental illness, I can say that) was just given medication and was being seen on an outpatient basis, that was just a way to avoid any liability. In my honest opinion, it was as though this guy was unimportant, when in fact he was important. He let us see how neglectful we are of those that need serious medical attention. I'm not worried about the stigma of being mentally ill, I'm concerned about those that are supposed to be "sane" and of a clear, rational mind. They should have the stigma, not us. At least we're honest.

Thanks,

Gigi

 


Hugs,


Sebastian


 


http://www.facebook.com/sebastianbruce

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2002
Thu, 04-19-2007 - 10:03am

My feelings on this are torn. On the one hand, I think this kid WAS a victim. He was ill and fell through the cracks and went untreated. On the other hand, I think this case is going to make it harder for the rest of us. People are going to ignore the statistic that only 1-3% of the mentally ill ever become violent...the same percentage as of the general population. Over the years, I spent a lot of time in mental hospitals, and I never met anyone who was dangerous. Even so, when I told my husband I had a serious mental illness, he jokingly said, "don't hurt me!" I let him know that joke was not appropriate.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. But too, I hope the rest of us with mental illness are not also made victims of a witch hunt resulting from this.

Express.
Beth "Petrouchka"

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Thu, 04-19-2007 - 8:37pm

Gigi,


I agree with including the shooter in your prayers, but I don't feel even he should be stimatized (not that it's going to make any difference to him now) for being ill, but more so all the rest of us who have a mental disorder that are inevitably going to be tarred with the same brush.


As near as I can tell from the news reports, the last time it was confirmed he had any mental health treatment was in the fall/winter of 2005 when he was put i/p on a 48 hour hold then released.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Thu, 04-19-2007 - 9:16pm

I agree on both counts.