Mental Illness

Mental illness is not a new phrase but it is one that has been in the news and on the lips of many people since school shootings began. The most recent tragedy in Broward County, in Fort Lauderdale, has intensified the use of this phrase. The horror associated with the murders of the young high school students and staff cannot be expressed enough; this two-word phrase only begins to describe the tragedy.

Mental illness, however, is a general phrase associated with a range of psychological diagnoses. So when the news media or friends describe a school murderer as mentally ill, we really don't know what that means.

One thing we can say for certain, even without a psychological examination, anyone who kills another person is mentally ill. Murder is the most horrific behavior inflicted on another person. The tragedy is compounded when children and young people are the victims.

It is important, however, to remember that the phrase mental illness represents a range of diagnoses. This means there are many people struggling with disorders within this range. We all know people suffering from depression, anxiety, mood shifts, bi-polar, autism, ADHD and on, and on, who would never commit murder.

When we meet people suffering from a psychological disorder, we typically want to respect them by not overstepping their boundaries and intruding in their lives. When we encounter people with the most severe symptoms and diagnoses, people who are potential murderers as recognized by their aggressive and abusive behaviors without remorse, intense expressions of anger, threatening language, lack of empathy, and so forth, we still believe their boundaries should be respected or we simply remain silent.

In this country, however, we are discovering that in these severe situations this is not enough. When a potential murderer becomes an actual murderer, people die. It is too late!

Although these horrific crimes are accompanied by a lot of posturing and discussions about mental illness, gun control and future preventative measures, these discussions seldom last very long or prove productive, as evidenced by the repetitive murders that occur in our schools. This is a complex problem requiring a complex solution.

Perhaps the solution begins with each of us. By demanding changes in the political, judicial, legal and social systems, we might develop greater preventions that protect our school children, our young adults and other innocent people from needlessly being killed.