My Mission

It occurred to me today that I started this Blog without giving full explanation as to why I am doing it. I suppose that should have been in the first post, but hey, better late than never!

What really triggered me on all of this is the recent tragedy that happened very close to home. The Tucson, AZ shooting carried out by a young man named Jared Loughner. I have read several articles about Jared, and about the tragedy, and it only becomes more and more clear that he suffers from some kind of severe Mental Illness.

Jared is currently under mental evaluation and Paranoid Schizophrenia is being greatly considered as a possible diagnosis. When I began to read the articles, and saw the story played over and over on the local and national news stations, I began to think about Susan and how she was.

No, she has never gone out on a killing spree, but I have seen her an uncountable number of times in the midst of a Psychotic Episode. I can honestly say, that during these Episodes, Susan had completely no control whatsoever over what she did or said. Her behavior was often violent, and in a strange way, not human. She would shout out incoherent ramblings to either myself or my siblings, or to people who do not even exist. Even her eyes would change.

In my opinion, when Jared committed this unspeakable crime, he was experiencing a Psychotic Episode. Psychotic Episodes are defined by Wikipedia as: "abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality... Psychosis is given to the more severe forms of psychiatric disorder, during which hallucinations and delusions and impaired insight may occur... People experiencing psychosis may report hallucinations or delusional beliefs, and may exhibit personality changes and thought disorder. Depending on its severity, this may be accompanied by unusual or bizarre behavior..." If you wish to read more about Psychotic Episodes, or Psychosis, there are countless sites that can give you further information.

Now, I am not a Psychiatrist, so please understand that my belief of Jared's state of mind at the time of the attack is of my own personal opinion. So, let's entertain my opinion for a moment... If Jared was experiencing Psychosis, this would mean that he was out of contact with reality and had no control over his thoughts and actions at the time.

Now hear you me... I am in NO way defending the actions that took place that day. I am however sad to know that with the proper diagnosis, treatment, and medication, it is very likely that this attack would have never happened.

If you have read anything about Jared, then you would know that he had been exhibiting strange and often times scary behavior, long before the Tucson shooting. Strange behaviors and bizarre outbursts in the middle of his college classes eventually led to safety concerns from other students and his instructors. One girl even went out of her way to sit in a seat next to the door so that she could make a quick escape should he bring a gun to class. It was only a matter of time before he was expelled. The college stated that they would allow him to return after undergoing a Mental Evaluation.

Hm... So the school knew something was wrong, the students and teachers knew something was wrong... Why did he not receive a Mental Evaluation? Why wasn't he committed due to verifiable evidence that he was not mentally stable? Why was he not under a treatment plan with therapy and medications? WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?!

I'll tell you why this had to happen, because Jared fell through the cracks of a very broken system. Many states in the US, including Arizona, currently follow the "Harm to Self or Others" standard. This means that a person who is Mentally Ill cannot be involuntarily committed into a Psychiatric hospital or clinic unless they are of imminent harm to hurt themselves or others.

Now, even though Jared's actions and behaviors were scary, there was no solid evidence to show that he would harm himself or harm another person. Even though a classmate found it necessary to sit by the door for a fast escape, there was no evidence to show that he was planning on killing anyone. Because of these kinds of laws, 9 people are dead, including a very beautiful and innocent 9 year old girl who had just begun her life.

The signs were there... Jared was very sick and nearly everyone around him knew it. Yet no one could legally do anything about it. I can only imagine the pain and hardship that his parents endured. Knowing that there was something wrong with their son but there was nothing they could do about it. There was no way to force him so seek help and take Psych medications. They were up against a brick wall and there was nothing they could do.

I have found myself in this same position many times with Susan. Had we been able to involuntarily commit her, she would have received evaluations and treatments to help her. She may have gotten the help that she, as a human being, deserved.

So, I have rambled, and believe me, I could go on for hours, but I will cut to the chase. I started this Blog to help educate people about the laws that prevent involuntary commitment. I want to open everyone's eyes to what is going on and how it is effecting people in our communities. Had I not had a Schizophrenic mother, I would have never known about these laws either. The families of the Ill deserve it and most definitely, the Ill themselves deserve it. For without involuntary commitment, countless people would have lived on living in a prison of hallucinations and delusions. They would not have gotten the help that would allow them the chance to live a normal and happy life, free of the clutches of Schizophrenia's symptoms.

Involuntary commitment is slowly being abolished through out the US and is being replaced with less effective alternatives. Some of these alternatives include, voluntary commitment (This is rare since those who suffer with the disorders rarely believe that there is anything wrong with them) and involuntary commitment outside of a hospital or clinic, (meaning that the family of the ill person is left with the responsibility of tracking medications and appointments for therapy).

So there it is. This is my mission. Together we can change these laws and help countless people find help. The help that is necessary for them to live the life that they want and deserve.

At the top of this Blog you will find a picture of Jared in 2010 as a volunteer at the Tucson Festival of Books. I would really like you to take a moment to look at this picture. What do you see? Do you see a vicious murderer or do you see a handsome young man enjoying himself? Look at his face and eyes. He looks like a normal person.

At the bottom of this Blog, you will find a picture of Jared following his arrest of the Tucson shooting. This picture gives me chills. Anyone can see that he looks like a completely different person. What do you see? Do you see that happy young man from only a few months before? Look at his eyes. Do you see a person who is mentally present or a person who is off in another world?

My point is, something changed. Anyone can see that. Something changed in him that day to where he just wasn't mentally there. Psychosis? I think so...