I think I was lamenting his chances, and wishing they were better. Poor Edwards.

Seems to me I recall China demonstrating a satellite shoot down capability a while back. Got to keep up you know.

While one doesn't want to "stigmatize" mental illness, I learned a long time ago not to listen to "advocates," who always try to tell us that mentally ill people are just like you and me. (Except for this one little thing: that when they go off their meds, and for no other particular reason than their mental illness, they buy a shotgun and blow a few people away before blowing their own head off.)

The fact is, if you think schizoids and bipolars and such are "only a danger to themselves" (as their advocates would have you believe) you need to do a little googling. A lot of the horrendous tragedies like this are done by mentally ill people.

The alternative would be that SANE people decide to do such things, and that's absurd.

Maybe it's just me, but that crazy bastard looks just like a young Rush Limbaugh.

The fact is, Amanda Bandana, you don't know what you're talking about.
It is very irresponsible to assume that when mentally ill people go off their meds, that they automatically commit violent acts. This is simply not accurate as most mentally ill people do NOT do anything like what happened in Illinois. However, some mentally ill people do perpetrate acts of violence. Yes they do. But with the proper medication, many people can be remarkably like "you and me," assuming that's a good thing, you know, to be like you or me.
Mental illness is complicated and very misunderstood, but to perpetuate the idea that mental health workers aren't aware that their clients could be dangerous (and yes, there are some stupid bleeding hearts in the mental health field) well, it's just stupid.
Amanda, since you seem to have such strong opinions based on not a lot of fact, why don't you look in to the issue. Maybe you could investigate the deplorable manner in which our society cares for it's menatlly ill citizens. How many people can't get help. How many people fall through the cracks. How many people experience discrimination due to stereotyping and misinformation perpetuated by dipshits like you Amanda. You want facts, go find 'em instead of making them up.

The fact is, Amanda Bandana, you don't know what you're talking about.
It is very irresponsible to assume that when mentally ill people go off their meds, that they automatically commit violent acts. This is simply not accurate as most mentally ill people do NOT do anything like what happened in Illinois. However, some mentally ill people do perpetrate acts of violence. Yes they do. But with the proper medication, many people can be remarkably like "you and me," assuming that's a good thing, you know, to be like you or me.
Mental illness is complicated and very misunderstood, but to perpetuate the idea that mental health workers aren't aware that their clients could be dangerous (and yes, there are some stupid bleeding hearts in the mental health field) well, it's just stupid.
Amanda, since you seem to have such strong opinions based on not a lot of fact, why don't you look in to the issue. Maybe you could investigate the deplorable manner in which our society cares for it's menatlly ill citizens. How many people can't get help. How many people fall through the cracks. How many people experience discrimination due to stereotyping and misinformation perpetuated by dipshits like you Amanda. You want facts, go find 'em instead of making them up.

About 10 years ago, I lived in an apartment building with this really nice neighbor. But then one day... He went off his meds and drank some alcohol and then set the laundry room on fire. Thanks to the fire department, no one got hurt, but we sure did want to kick his crazy ass.

Maybe they should make some sort of hotline that calls up med takers and reminds them to take their meds on time.

Jan: The fact is, Amanda Bandana, you don't know what you're talking about.

Amanda: Oh, yes I do. Oh, yes I do, and I'll explain how I do later.

Jan: It is very irresponsible to assume that when mentally ill people go off their meds, that they automatically commit violent acts. This is simply not accurate as most mentally ill people do NOT do anything like what happened in Illinois. However, some mentally ill people do perpetrate acts of violence.

Amanda: It would be irresponsible had I said that. It's irresponsible of you to treat a hyperbolic statement (which the average English speaker would have recognized as such) as though it was a cold statement of fact. No, of course, not all mentally ill people who go off their meds "automatically" commit crimes. I have a bipolar nephew who went off his meds. Did he kill anyone? No, but he did grope a 13 year old girl on a bus (he was 33). He's done a lot of crazy shit even while ON his meds, because finding meds that work and keeping them working is an exploratory and halting process. And, one thing you didn't mention: they tend to go off their meds with breathtaking regularity.

Jan: ...with the proper medication, many people can be remarkably like "you and me," assuming that's a good thing, you know, to be like you or me.

Amanda: But that all were on their meds and that their meds were really effective for them. Not always the case. When my nephew is on his meds, he's a sweet guy. When he's off them, he's 230 lb of not very sweet. Also, three years ago there was a murder in the apartment below mine where two bipolars lived. The guy strangled his girlfriend and then calmly walked to find a cop to confess what he'd just done. Was he on his meds or off them? If you see a mentally ill person walking toward you on the street, frequently you are unlikely to know they are mentally ill and you CERTAINLY won't know (unless they are acting google-eyed batfuck bonkers) whether they are on or off their meds!

Jan: ...since you seem to have such strong opinions based on not a lot of fact, why don't you look in to the issue. Maybe you could investigate the deplorable manner in which our society cares for it's menatlly ill citizens. How many people can't get help. How many people fall through the cracks. How many people experience discrimination due to stereotyping and misinformation perpetuated by dipshits like you Amanda. You want facts, go find 'em instead of making them up.

Amanda: I don't hate the mentally ill. I think my feelings toward them are appropriately sympathetic and fearful. Believe it or not, I'm very well educated when it comes to the mentally ill. The ethics of counseling was a specialty of mine in grad school. I'm also quite aware of how people fall through the cracks in our health care system. After all, I'm earning a small living in the arts right now and suffering from diabetes. I don't see anyone providing affordable health insurance for diabetics with small incomes, do you? Quite frankly, you have intentionally misunderstood, distorted, and stereotyped me.

The fact remains that the health insurance advocates tend to minimize the threat the mentally ill present to themselves and others. I guess I should have expected that some dense individual wouldn't be able to see past my irony and hyperboly and treat my post as if it was a college essay minus the footnotes.

Who's the dipshit now? Dipshit!

I love this thread.

Bitchin', totally awesome.

amanda, if you don't want crazy people such as myself to have access to the medication that keeps us balanced, yet you're so terribly afraid of us, what exactly are you advocating? lock me up or kill me, which is it? or maybe it's that old standard go back in time and sterilize my parents?