CRAZY PEOPLE AND GUN CONTROL: LET'S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT



Lets talk about facts for a moment, shall we? But before we dive in, I have to remind you that I work with adults in recovery that have a serious mental illness diagnosis. This understandably influences my view, and I find myself strongly opinionated when it comes to gun control of the "crazies". And boy, that term is insufferable. Bear with me here as I explain; it shouldn't take too long.

I'm going to skip the nuts and bolts of this argument because more than likely you've been flooded with news about shootings, NRA claims, hypothetical solutions and whatnot for months. So lets just talk about the villianization of the already stigmatized, mmmkay?

It's really easy to scapegoat a demographic you don't know much about. While many people unbeknownst to them either have a mental illness or are close to someone who does, the statistics/facts/realities of brain disorders escape the general public. 1 in 4 Americans are diagnosed with a mental illness, which I believe is waaaaaaaaaaaaay too low. What thrills me is that this number has been increasing over the years, but it's not because people are becoming "crazier". If anything, it's because we are working on de-stigmatizing mental illness and to a minimal degree its working. As people become less afraid of seeking help and accepting some form of a diagnosis, those numbers will continue to rise. And that is a GOOD thing! It means that the world is becoming a healthier place; a place where people utilize the resources available.

But here is the part of this discussion that really pisses me off: the state requirement to submit the name of every mentally ill person into a federal database. And thirty-eight states already do that to prevent them from owning a firearm. (///EDIT: I was told that the only submissions to the database are those enrolled in federally funded health care. Cause, y'know those that are rich enough to afford private insurance are less of a threat///) Here's the thing: guess what percentage of diagnosed US citizens are responsible for gun violence? FOUR PERCENT. Guess how many people who participate in gun violence actually have a mental illness? 100%. How do I know this? Because any person who would use a gun to kill another human (or twenty) is most certainly not mentally sound. This makes it glaringly obvious what the real problem is: the 96% that have an undiagnosed mental illness. Yay critical thinking! Brilliant deduction; gold stars for everyone! But, uhm... where do we start?

Well certainly not with a list of those who have been officially diagnosed. If anything, they are ahead of the game, and most likely on the road to recovery. I would assume that the contributing 4% are untreated and this is undeniably due to the lack of help from our underfunded system. Public funding for mental health has dropped over 4 billion dollars over the last four years. This distresses me more than most, because I spend 40 hours a week with individuals who live in poverty yet are unable to receive health insurance because they "make too much". Only if they have a serious mental illness are they given some help; namely a psychiatrist for medication. That's it. No extended support, no case manager, no therapy. Only recently have they been given a recovery coach, but even then the coach has little pull within the (horrifically broken) system. Are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?

In my dream reality, the statistics of those diagnosed with a mental illness would skyrocket. Synonymously with increased funding, health care and therapeutic support. More people would be talking about, educating on, and accepting the fact that none of our brains function at 100% capacity. We would all be seeking some form of assistance to live healthier, happier, more balanced lives. And the acknowledgement of all of our imperfect craniums would make the negative mental health statistics irrelevant... and wouldn't that be nice?

Stop picking on the people who are brave enough to face their brain disease. Start focusing on creating a country where seeking help and acknowledging omnipresent neurological deficiencies is normal. Fund the fucking health care system. Institute preventative care. Not only will you see gun violence decrease, but other social ills like homelessness, unemployment, all types of violence, poverty, and a million others issues that the world can do without.Trust me on this one; I'm a smart cookie.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my (not short at all) rambling of absolutism? What would you change? What do you think the real issue at hand is? Talk to me smarty pants. I wanna know.

18 comments

  1. First of all I think it is ridiculous that there is a database for mentally ill people. Isn't the private information between a Dr. and patient? I am not 100% clear on how the American health care system works, but it seems to me like it is really messed up. The stigma around mental illness needs to be destroyed, and more funding needs to go into that sector. We have a similar problem where I live. A lot of mentally ill people have no one to care for them, and the city refuses to/"can't afford" to support them and they end up living on the street and usually get into some kind of trouble. It is very sad. With a little funding and understanding these people could be cared for and who knows, they might even be able to give back to community.

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    1. I wish we had a slightly more evolved mental health program like Scotland or Australia...

      I wanna move there!

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  2. Database for mentally ill? That seems pretty damn ridiculous. Those names need to be kept private, Dr. & patient confidentiality. I'd HATE to have my name on that database if I had a mental illness. Hearing the funding dropped 4 billion is heartbreaking. So many people don't understand mental illness and some won't admit to it.. which again, heartbreaking. We need to make this a known issue and educate those who aren't aware. My brother and his friends don't understand the whole mental illness and the effect it has, so I stay away from politics and try not to argue, but you can't argue with this post.

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    1. You're totally right. Not only is it a HIPAA violation* but totally unnecessary and pointless.

      :)

      *http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/

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  3. Given our past view (and treatment, and diagnosis) of mental illness as a country, it's hardly fair to lay this on one president. Or even one congress. Or even one generation. Because what you're talking about is a change in our perception, as a culture, and that requires ALL OF US. You're just ahead of the curve. Change starts from the bottom up, so the more we get that information out there, to fight the generations of misinformation (through naivety, and marketing, etc), the more likely we will be to instate a real change. First the change in culture happens, then the change in policy follows, as it has for all civil rights movements.

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    1. Interesting point Beth:) The only reason I mention Obama (who I dearly love in most cases. Yes, I'm that typical liberal...) is because the only thing he has done is increase a little funding (50 million* for professionals... okay that's more than I thought. I'd love to see the 4 billion put back into the system, but that's just the demanding health professional that I am:)

      I agree that Obama is not to blame for this tragedy, but overall he had the most influence to change the fucked up system that we have. And the database. I'd love to see him address the real issue (like you said) of naivety. I think its gonna take both:) But the funding issue is definitely a step in the right direction.

      Thanks for commenting!!! Yay discussion!!!


      *http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2013/01/16/obama-calls-for-changes-to-mental-health-care/1839733/

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  4. 1) I really like that you didn't ramble about how guns are good or bad.
    2) I agree with you 100% Instead of trying to deal with the stereotype it's necessary to get to the root of the problem.
    3) I wish there were more people that are in higher up places that understood this. I feel that in a decade or so, our generation will step in more to the "power" and try to fix things. This is a giant hope.

    It makes me feel so good that you are out here on the internet addressing real world problems rather than talking about your nail polish all the time. Thanks =)

    -Cassie @ http://dawnofthedandelions.blogspot.com/

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    1. I don't know why it didn't post your comment on here... Hmmm.

      We're definitely moving in the right direction... but we gotta long way to go.

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  5. Personally, I have an anti-gun stance for everyone, mentally ill or not.

    That's probably a result of living in the UK, where guns are illegal for almost everyone and gun crime is virtually non-existent. I don't know, it just makes sense to me that fewer guns= fewer gun-related crimes.

    Becky
    xx

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  6. I hate that we even have to have a conversation like this. Gun control laws and regulations should apply to everyone, regardless of whether or not they have a mental illness. As someone who would be on that list, it is so unbelievably frustrating to know that there are people out there actually trying to make sure everyone has a hand in our private business. It's hard enough dealing with the disease as it is, let alone now having to worry about whether or not it is going to be used against us.

    Mental illness is a disease just like cancer or diabetes and needs to be respected as such.

    *steps down from soapbox*

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  7. I agree with Meg in that gun regulation should apply to everyone...regardless of mental illness or not. I also know that Obama is not an all-powerful monarch who can just write laws and decide where money goes on at at-will basis. It takes an act of congress and the president to make these things happen. Our government has to work together and that's simply not happening. It's unfair to blame one person.

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    1. Of course;) I shouldn't have thrown his name in there haphazardly:)

      I suppose I should clarify that I don't mean that "physical action" should be taken (because you're right that takes a process) but rather a leader figure speaking about the actuality of our situation. As in, someone speaking on behalf of the voiceless:)

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    2. Hah! When I went back to read what I wrote in the post, I see how generally ignorant that sentence sounds. Oops <3

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  8. Loved this, but am unable to be intelligently conversant at the mo....just wanted to say that I have always thought that everyone has some crazy in them...as a kid I was always amazed and intensely curious about peoples' crazy side! And guns...they scare the crap out of me....love carroll

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  9. When I read that bit about a database of the mentally ill, my first thought was of the X-men movie where they want to create a database of all the mutants because they pose a risk to the rest of the population.

    I suppose I see the theory behind it, but it sounds like a slippery slope to me.

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  10. Things like this are going to make people afraid to seek treatment. I remember my mom lying in the dark in the middle of the day dealing with migraines and depression. She refused to seek help or treatment for the depression for fear that a prospective employer would find out and she would not be hired. I wonder what life could have been like had that stigma not been alive and well. I shudder to think of a mental health database, I really do!

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  11. Jes, idk if you have yet but maybe you should read up on the, I believe its called, eugenics that took place in the mountains. They recorded the mentally unfit and committed them even sterilized them. My great aunt was actually a victim. Its where Hitler got his idea for work camps. Very interesting stuff. Yeah let's make another database :/

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