A Treasure Found at Home

yeah, this is going to be about VT… sorta. really, more about the ‘fallout’ around mental health services. my ideas aren’t well formed here, yet, to say the least.

i’m writing to try to make sense, here, of how i feel and what i think. actually, i don’t have time to make sense of what i think right now, so this will be even less like that and more like a post that i hope gets all of you to think, as well.

when i first heard the rumblings about the VT shooter’s mental state and the questions around why he didn’t get the help he needed i have to admit i was pretty happy about the thought of more opportunity to help.

a friend of mine had a pharmaceutically sponsored breakdown a few years back. he was on the wrong meds, suspected as much, but couldn’t pay for ‘regular’ mental health care and was instead working with the city. his psych wasn’t interested in his side effects and he ended up in a locked ward for a week with many difficult month afterward attempting to sort out his new meds. luckily for him, he’s found something that works and is, as they say, a ‘new man’.

recently a good friend’s brother tried to kill himself. they also can’t afford insurance. he’s been hospitalized before and even now remains on a waiting list.

i was thrilled to think that people like my friend from a few years ago and my other friend’s brother could be in a position to receive more  personalized and appropriate care! but i didn’t consider the ‘other side’. i forgot about how other people see mental health issues. i admit i was thinking selfishly, but jo reminded me what new guidelines could mean and how all this talk reflects on some people.

my goodness! no. i don’t want this stigma on her at all. i don’t want this stigma on anyone, i only want people who need help to be in a position to get help. and i want people who know someone needs help to be in a position to help, even when that someone maybe doesn’t realize. but, yeah, it’s a sticky point. the big problem with forcing someone into a psych ward (besides the stigma) is that they won’t do their part if they’re not ready to.

so, the question is, how to we create a supportive mental health system which protects people from themselves when they are ill and accurately diagnoses who needs to be reigned in a bit and who’s just a little different?

as much as jo’s post made me stop and think of repercussions for her and the people she met, i do see a difference. there do need to be some checks on behaviour. there is always that one weird kid, but sometimes that weirdness crosses a line. and while we can’t force anyone to become healthier, we can certainly, hopefully, find a better way to help our professors set appropriate boundaries.