Virginia Tech Tragedy

[Guest guest]

Sad to say, but when it comes to this kind of mental illness all of

our systems currently set up to help are sadly lacking.

 

First, the young man was psychotic, paranoid schizophrenia, NOT

depressed -- therefore no amount of antidepressants were going to

help. When you have an imaginary friend at his age, you're

schizophrenic. Sometimes they can be helped with meds, sometimes not.

 

He's been quiet for years, stayed below the radar. While I don't

know (Butch, you may know more), but being from a Korean background I

suspect his family was shy and quiet and probably overwhelmed and not

knowing what to do with him.

 

Not that many people have the overall knowledge of what to look for

with this kind of mental illness. Our youth are especially impaired

in this for it does take years of experience to pick up on the signs.

 

But the main problems are with the mental health institution and the

legal institution and the interface between the two of them. About

20-30 years ago there was a push for deinstitutionalization of mental

hospitals -- thousands were dumped onto the streets. Many of the

homeless you see on the streets are people with schizophrenia. Their

families can't take care of them, and there are any other facilities

or institutions that will, either. Schizophrenics notoriously will

NOT take their medications. And if they have any stressors going on,

they will have a psychotic episode.

 

In addition, the law is very tricky in terms of committing them: " a

possible threat to self or others " -- will put someone in for three

days. For thirty days, there's a court order procedures. During

that time they get drugs, settle down, and then they'll leave - not

take their drugs, etc.

 

The whole deinstitutionalization thing that went on a number of years

ago was a big mistake, for there were no safety nets put up for these

folks after the fact.

 

There are people out there right now who may one day explode like

this young man -- or Charles Whitman (the man who shot so many from

the Tower at the University of Texas in Austin -- I was four blocks

away and watch it all unfold).

 

Dede