Mental Illness Stigma

Mental illness still carries a bad connotation. It is okay to have a broken leg or arm, but don't anyone dare be depressed or confused.

What to do? Not this:



http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/03/11/149958/gop-senator-siberia/

During the political campaign, there were numerous references to Hitler. I think there are many Hitler types among us. If you have read about Hitler, you will learn that he had charm and chrisma at times. His evil side was masked until he revealed his true colors. People see what they want to see. Sometimes people see what a person wants them to see. Deceit in politics has become the norm. Deceit in business has been with us for a long time. We have deceit in News broadcasting, i.e., Fox. Some make a living out of deceit. If we were to send all the mentally defective to Siberia, we may become lonely.

Alice Miller devoted a large portion of one of her books to a study of Hitler and the roots of his perspective:

http://www.naturalchild.org/alice_miller/adolf_hitler.html

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In order not to die, all mistreated children must totally repress the mistreatment, deprivation, and bewilderment they have undergone because otherwise the child's organism wouldn't be able to cope with the magnitude of the pain suffered. Only as adults do they have other possibilities for dealing with their feelings. If they don't make use of these possibilities, then what was once the life-saving function of repression can be transformed Into a dangerous destructive, and self-destructive force. In the careers of despots such as Hitler and Stalin, their suppressed fantasies of revenge can lead to indescribable atrocities. This phenomenon doesn't exist anywhere in the entire animal kingdom, for no animal is trained by its parents to deny its nature completely in order to become a "well-behaved" animal - only human beings act In such a destructive way. According to the reports of Nazi criminals (and also of soldiers who volunteered to fight in Vietnam), their unconscious programming to be violent began in every case with a brutal upbringing that demanded absolute obedience and expressed total contempt for the child. I know of no example of this which is so well-documented and which demonstrates so clearly the consequences of the psychological murder of children - bringing along with it a form of collective blindness - than the fateful success of Adolf Hitler.

Ann, good post.

alj wrote:

Alice Miller devoted a large portion of one of her books to a study of Hitler and the roots of his perspective:

http://www.naturalchild.org/alice_miller/adolf_hitler.html

Quote :

In order not to die, all mistreated children must totally repress the mistreatment, deprivation, and bewilderment they have undergone because otherwise the child's organism wouldn't be able to cope with the magnitude of the pain suffered. Only as adults do they have other possibilities for dealing with their feelings. If they don't make use of these possibilities, then what was once the life-saving function of repression can be transformed Into a dangerous destructive, and self-destructive force. In the careers of despots such as Hitler and Stalin, their suppressed fantasies of revenge can lead to indescribable atrocities. This phenomenon doesn't exist anywhere in the entire animal kingdom, for no animal is trained by its parents to deny its nature completely in order to become a "well-behaved" animal - only human beings act In such a destructive way. According to the reports of Nazi criminals (and also of soldiers who volunteered to fight in Vietnam), their unconscious programming to be violent began in every case with a brutal upbringing that demanded absolute obedience and expressed total contempt for the child. I know of no example of this which is so well-documented and which demonstrates so clearly the consequences of the psychological murder of children - bringing along with it a form of collective blindness - than the fateful success of Adolf Hitler.

Good thing to consider when rearing children.

The body is organic. Every particle of our corporal body is made of cellular material. All of that material is subject to illness and breakage. The brain is just another organic collection of cellular matter that can become ill and break. Yet, we establish blame for breakage and illness in the brain. Most aspects of health care do not cover routine examinations of brain malfunction to the same degree they cover other body parts. Brain chemistry repair is considered by many as an admission that they, as human beings, are defective. As soon as we recognize the brain as just another body part and establish routine care and health habits without blame but rather as part of overall physical and mental health, we will be more able to recognize where intense medical interventions for brain and mental health are required.

Many illnesses result from poor health habits; plans may be established to improve them. The same may be said for the brain.

Certain body illnesses are still difficult to discuss: cancer, aids, sexually transmitted diseases, any illnesses associated with bodily elimination and of course, mental illness. They are just different collections of cells. There is no good or bad parts to the body. They must all function optimally for overall physical and mental well-being. They are all inter-related.

Education is required to relieve the stigma associated with seeking help for mental illness. A friend of mine who had a mental breakdown from stress beyond imagination was so grateful that she did not go for mental help because a job for which she applied would not be available to her. A person with a healed, broken leg is not denied employment.

Widespread acceptance of the need in a society as disassociated and isolationist as ours for mental therapy and drugs that repair brain chemical imbalances will help lead to better funding and a mentally healthier society, safer for all members.

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Mental
illness still carries a bad connotation. It is okay to have a broken
leg or arm, but don't anyone dare be depressed or confused.

I don't think the cases in the news recently involved run of the mill depression or confusion. And bringing up Russian gulags is disingenuous, because they really housed political prisoners, not mentally ill ones (although that's how they described them).

I look upon a mentally ill person as being out of reality--hence not responsible for their actions.

So you don't think Adam Lanza was responsible for his actions? Oh, I do. So was his mother.

How?

What have I missed? I only know what I hear and read.
Adam was intelligent, reclusive and non- violent. He was a vegan.

His mother was pleasant and kind.

I have heard she was trying to have him committed.

I will have to answer this post tomorrow. It is intense and personal when a child is mistreated, at least to the child. It is easy for people who study these children to flap their gums. It is not so easy for the child to find a voice, even as an adult.

I wonder about a lot of things.

Alice, what is the whole story that you know? What about his mother?

Love,

Betty

If she was trying to have him committed, then she knew he was crazy! And if she knew he was crazy, why did she leave her guns laying (lying?) around him!?

grammar check: hens lying around him (hens stretched out on floor around him); hens laying [eggs] around him (hens sitting and laying eggs around him).

If you leave things (guns) lying around, they are left unattended, which is what you meant, I think, i.e. his mother left guns lying around for anyone (him) to pick up.

I don't know for certain she was trying to have him committed. I have also heard she was trying to relocate him to WA.

I heard he was never violent.

I don't think she or anybody else should have assault weapons for personal use.

I agree, Alice. If one feels the need to have a gun, it should be for a specific purpose and be the type of weapon that meets that purpose. For a novice, pulling a trigger on a weapon that will fire multiple rounds can cause the shooter to lose control. There is no specific target when multiple rounds are being fired unless the intent is to hit multiple targets. Spraying bullets is not for private use.

Banning assault weapons makes sense. Control is needed.

Abe,

Weapons that fire multiple times with a single trigger pull are classified as Machine Guns and are ALREADY against the law NATIONALLY!!!!! Any civilian owning one without a special ATF license is supposed to go to jail! That doesn't keep the druggies and gangbangers from getting them.

Thanks Don. The law needs to be enforced.

I have zero knowledge about guns. I do know that the guns I see for sale at gun shows have no business being sold. That discovery does not take a lot of knowledge; just some common sense.

Some people take their gun ownership as a matter of personal freedom. Fine. But their personal freedom stops where mine is endangered. When states are considering arming teachers in schools and posting armed guards at schools - then there is something major wrong with the way this country is run. Period. Some freedoms are not logical in a civilized society.

Using one city or state or country as an example that gun control does not take guns from criminals is a joke. So long as gun manufacturers are allowed to sell guns anywhere in the United states including the Internet, those who want them will have them. Duh............profit is profit. We have very profitable gun manufacturers and related industries paying very high salaries to lobbyists paying high contributions to political funds to provide pro-gun propaganda. We are arming Mexican cartels. We should be ashamed as a country; not add more guns.

Just because prohibition didn't work doesn't mean gun control doesn't work. They are entirely different subjects in a different era.

Abe,

The laws also need to be uniform across ALL states. There are states that require NO training to get a concealed carry permit, simply a background check, others require training and you have to demonstrate your proficiency with the particular weapon your are getting the permit for and then there is Illinois, the only state in the Union where it is against the law to issue a carry permit, consequently is has one of the highest murder rates in the country since the bad guys carry anyway and know the civilians are unarmed. Note: one of the State Representatives that voted against the carry law was arrested at O'Hare a couple weeks ago for trying to carry a weapon onto a plane...go figure!

Don't want to get on a rant...My point was that many people think when they hear the media say Assault Weapon it is a fully automatic weapon and 99% of the time it is not and if it was it is already illegal.

I'm truly curious...when someone is caught committing a robbery with a gun where you live in Germany do they plea bargain it down to burglary with no mention of the firearm just to clear the court calendar? Unless the guilty party is a multiple offender, it happens here a great deal. My best friend is a retired cop, he arrested the same guy three times over a two year period. His lawyer got the charge plead down to burglary, first offense...probation. Six months later Mike arrested him again for robbery with a gun and it got plead down to burglary again, they violated his probation and he got sent to jail for a year, three months after he got out Mike arrested him again, burglary and Manslaughter, he killed the clerk at the liquor store he was robbing...If he had been properly charged with the first offense he might not have been on the street, that's when Mike put in his papers after twenty three years.

Isn't the fact that a gun is displayed considered assault with a deadly weapon?

It certainly adds an element of fear.

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We are arming Mexican cartels.

Yes, and I still don't know why Holder wasn't fired after Fast and Furious. Why the media gave him such a pass.

Don, I don't have any specific knowledge of how things you mentioned are processed, however I do know that there is little if any plea bargaining. Guns are prohibited unless one has a license and that license is specific. If carrying a gun even with a license and not in the process of using it according to the license, it is a crime.

The crime rate is low. High profile crimes are highly publicized and normally have to do with terrorists/gangsters in highly populated areas, i.e., Berlin, Munich. In the village where I live since 2001, there has never been a murder. There have been a few burglaries committed by people from the East. As is usually the case, people are notified in advance in the newspaper by the police that there are gangs on the prowl and to take precaution in keeping doors locked, etc. The license plates are often a heads-up and caution is exercised. Even in a peaceful village where I live, on occasion there are groups that come in the middle of the night and raid the orchards and vineyards. It is mostly a crime of theft - not murder. Neighbors look out for one another. If someone is on vacation, neighbors will keep an eye out for any unusual activity at the neighbor's house. The police respond quickly and the person(s) are taken into custody and then things get sorted out.

We have hunters in our community and they belong to a hunting club. There are many wild pigs in the mountain nearby. They go hunting as a club and wild pork is often on the menu of local restuarants. These men carry guns in a prescribed manner. The guns are never loaded until ready for use in the hunt.
I personally know of just one person in my village that owns a handgun. It is a relic - an antique and I'm not sure if it can be fired. Normally trophe guns have the firing pin filed off to prevent accidents.

Abe, what you describe makes a lot of sense to me. I've mentioned before that great grampa was from a small town in Russia where the hunters left their guns with the local police who cared for them in their spare time and issued them back for hunting.

When we had guns on our sailboat, we had to turn them in to customs in the islands while we were in their waters. It was a great inconvenience sometimes, but the guns were always returned in excellent condition. The boys used them to shoot skeet off the deck at sea. I always felt my dog was my best protection and early warning system. I lived alone at sea for six months and the guns were on shore with the local police. Some protection!