Mental health is much more
complicated than is realized. Particular diagnoses do not necessarily mean that
a person is unfit to carry a firearm. There exist laws to prevent purchase of
firearms to youth, and therapists are always on the look for suicidal or
homicidal ideation, but it is rarely seen. When it is, action is taken...
immediately.
Diagnoses could be considered
labels. No one should be stuck with such a label, and no one should be treated
differently because of that label. We call that ‘stigma’ and it is something
those who work in the mental health community would like to eliminate. NAMI
works on this particular issue.
Only a person who has committed a
crime is statistically likely to be a repeat offender. We should not assume we
know what a person will do based on their health or mental health, because we
don't. Psychosis is caused by a variety of factors, and is often treatable, or
goes away. Schizophrenia doesn't make a person aggressive toward others or not
care about the well-being of others.
Recently, we have seen two boys with
Autism commit horrendous crimes. Youth with Autism are generally not
aggressive, unless there is a disruption to their schedule, or if they are
having difficulty communicating and become frustrated. What is often seen is an
immediate destruction of property, swinging out, and often harming oneself
because of anxiety and frustration. It appears to be more often seen in
children/youth who are considered non-verbal. Try taping your mouth shut and
your fingers together – you would become frustrated within the first day. These
children live their lives in this manner. When episodes occur, they do not last
long, and are certainly not including time to calculate a crime over days,
weeks, or months. This suggests that this type of crime has a strong
environmental element, which is the responsibility of the community to
change.
For another opinion on this important
issue:
