I'm sitting at work, so naturally I'm looking at TWW threads, and I find the gun control thread. That's a fine topic and all, but I feel like it only deals with half of the "mass shooting problem." The other half is, we seem to have a lot of crazy people who aren't locked up.

I know next to nothing about mental health policy in the US except for a vague understanding that we deinstitutionalized a lot of people back in the day and now there's no money to keep state-run mental health facilities open, or if they do stay open, they're all shitty.

What are TSBs thoughts on policy? Do we need to have more people committed or is that a dangerous abuse of government power? Are mental health facilities worth throwing money at again? Can we change our approach to this issue in a way that will reduce the number of high-profile mass killings?

Outside of the policy end, I know there's a shit ton of people on drugs for various mental health disorders, and this is a recent phenomenon. Weakness of modern society or postmodern inevitability? Why are suicides far more common in developed countries than poor ones? WHY ARE WE ALL CRAZY?

Ahem. Feel free to answer any of those.

1/27/2015 2:40:59 AM

Medication is only as good as the person's responsibility for taking it. Let's take Schizophrenia as an example. A very serious disease, not one to be mocked. My aunt has it and it really is no joke, as it has ruined her life. There are varying degrees of the disease, but I think mostly it can be kept at bay with medication. The problem comes when someone stops taking that medication.

It's a common plot device in a lot of psychological thrillers in Hollywood, but it really happens, and in your more severe cases, people can go off their rocker with Schizophrenia when they are off their meds. As far as the recent mass shootings go, I don't know if any of them had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, but it seems like Adam Lanza had it - IDK, I'm too lazy to go back and look.

So the question is how to we make sure the more severe cases don't stop taking their medication? Institutionalization seems almost cruel and unusual punishment for someone that could otherwise lead a normal life, but that institutionalization would make sure said person is taking their meds.


Then there are the sociopaths who end up being serial killers. I don't think there is a cure for sociopathy? Is that a word? But IMHO, those are just as bad as these mass shooters, because if they're good at what they do, they can hide in the shadows for years before they get caught. Most of your mass shooters end up killing themselves once they are done killing. How do you identify sociopathological behavior at an early age...I think that would be the only way to fix my new word - sociopathy. Get in front of it.

And a lot of people balk at this idea, but I really do think there is something to modern video games. Our generation grew up with Contra, fighting fucking aliens. And then there was River City Ransom, where we got to beat the shit out of other people, but they really didn't look like people. When in today's video games, where you can coordinate mass murder with your online buddies, and the graphics are as realistic as they are, well, you come desensitized to it. For 100% healthy brains, that's probably ok - you realize that even though it looks real, when you sneak up behind someone and silently slit their throat, it's just a video game. For those that have just a slight hint of something wrong...something deep down that is just starting to fester, then yea, those video games might make an impression. And you have to think - it might seem normal to us 30 somethings (or late 20 somethings) to play these games and think nothing of it, but I guarantee you have some 9, 10, 11 year olds out there playing Modern Warfare. Disclaimer though - I don't game. It has been probably two years (since my daughter was born) that I've fired up the PS3 for anything other than movies or Netflix, so maybe I'm wrong on all that.

1/27/2015 7:38:42 AM

Quote :

" How do you identify sociopathological behavior at an early age..."

Traditionally it's the triangle of late bed-wetting, obsession with fire, and animal cruelty.

But even if you could identify young sociopaths with perfect accuracy, what do you do? Therapy and hope for the best? Lock them up in the nuthatch, even when they haven't actually done anything?

1/27/2015 9:21:29 AM

hmm, i wonder what the mechanism is that links bed wetting and sociopathy?


and there are many cases, i think, where doctors identify sociopaths at a young age...but the question remains, what then to do with them? Also, in addition to the ethical questions that raises, the practical side is that you have to balance protecting society from known sociopaths, vs protecting society from unknown sociopaths who didn't seek treatment because they didn't want to get screwed by the system when they were found to have a mental disorder.

1/27/2015 10:39:40 PM

stop throwing people with mental issues in prison and spend more money building/maintaining specialized insitutions that exist solely to help people who need help

Quote :

"And a lot of people balk at this idea, but I really do think there is something to modern video games. Our generation grew up with Contra, fighting fucking aliens. And then there was River City Ransom, where we got to beat the shit out of other people, but they really didn't look like people. When in today's video games, where you can coordinate mass murder with your online buddies, and the graphics are as realistic as they are, well, you come desensitized to it. For 100% healthy brains, that's probably ok - you realize that even though it looks real, when you sneak up behind someone and silently slit their throat, it's just a video game. For those that have just a slight hint of something wrong...something deep down that is just starting to fester, then yea, those video games might make an impression. And you have to think - it might seem normal to us 30 somethings (or late 20 somethings) to play these games and think nothing of it, but I guarantee you have some 9, 10, 11 year olds out there playing Modern Warfare. Disclaimer though - I don't game. It has been probably two years (since my daughter was born) that I've fired up the PS3 for anything other than movies or Netflix, so maybe I'm wrong on all that."

do you realize how many millions play video games? and how nearly 100% of those millions commit zero violent offenses?

using this line of thinking, you could blame Jodie Foster for the assassination attempt of Reagan

[Edited on January 27, 2015 at 10:57 PM. Reason : .]

1/27/2015 10:53:18 PM

BANG YOUR HEAAAAAD!

1/27/2015 11:23:17 PM

Just an FYI, the DSM ( I know, it's not divinely inspired ) requires a patient to be at least 18 before an antisocial personality disorder diagnosis can be made.

[Edited on January 27, 2015 at 11:39 PM. Reason : ']

1/27/2015 11:39:27 PM

Quote :

"stop throwing people with mental issues in prison and spend more money building/maintaining specialized insitutions that exist solely to help people who need help"

Sure, that is great and all, but what if someone who really needs help either doesn't want to go, or doesn't believe they have a problem?

1/28/2015 7:16:30 AM

If only medical care was free like 100% of those other first world countries

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

1/28/2015 11:36:51 AM

it's not free anywhere.

1/28/2015 2:51:03 PM