Loading ...Jared Loughner shot 20 people
There are a myriad of disturbing questions surrounding the events in Tucson last weekend where Jared Loughner shot 20 people,killing six,including a nine-year-old girl.
Debate on the tragic incident has covered the gamut of gun control,partisan politics,drug abuse and mental-health care.
Why would anyone do this? What might have been done to prevent the tragedy from occurring? What can we learn?
Having worked in the mental-health field for more than 20 years,I am ever worried about the misconceptions and concerns of some people in the community about the nature of mental illness and whether people with mental illness should be feared.
Incidents like the one in Tucson invariably lead to some discussion about what we should do about people with mental illness to protect ourselves. This does no one any service.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada indicates that 20 per cent of the population of Canada are dealing with mental-health issues each year. That tells us that mental illness is quite common. Indeed,there probably is no family that cannot point to a direct member who has struggled with a mental-health concern.
What’s also known is that many people with mental illness do not seek help. Much of that has to do with shame and the enduring stigma surrounding mental illness. Some don’t seek help because they just don’t know that they are unwell;not understanding that their feelings/symptoms may represent a health problem;thinking that their “depression”is normal and that there may not be anything wrong.
The good news is that most mental illnesses are eminently treatable with counselling,medications and appropriate support. The vast majority of individuals with mentalhealth issues can and do lead positive and productive lives. Indeed,many noted community and business leaders have had their struggles with mental-health conditions.
With these types of numbers,there are thousands of people with mental illness in our community going about their lives. We are literally surrounded by people living with mental-health issues.
I know at Coast Mental Health,we sometimes face initial opposition when we are developing a new community site for persons with mental illness. Community members are always surprised to find out that we have many community based homes,apartments and service centres already in neighbourhoods around the city and many have been there for upwards of 30 years.
People with mental illness are no more likely to be violent than others in the community. Mental illness is a health concern and people suffering from any illness need and deserve access to appropriate treatment.
It seems apparent from the incident in Tucson that Jared Loughner’s mental health had been degrading for more than a year. But he never received any treatment and was able to enter a gun store in Tucson last November and purchase a Glock 9 mm pistol with two,33-round clips.
Maybe that is the real story.
Darrell Burnham is executive director of Coast Mental Health,which has been providing housing and other services for people with mental illnesses in Metro Vancouver since 1972.
Darrell Burnham,The Province,January,14,2011
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