Posted on 10/01/2011 7:25:35 PM PDT by Niuhuru
Great post...
Also....Unfortunately psychiatric medications often have debilitating physical and mental side effects.
An especially difficult side effect is mental “blunting”. In other words, they feel as if 20 or 30 points have been knocked off their IQ and this makes many types of employment impossible for them, or even safe for them to do.
All psychotropic medications have side effects, although some of the newer medications are much better in that regard. My son is on a shot he takes twice a week called Risperdal Consta. Yes, there are side effects, but it has completely eliminated his voices and his delusional thinking. The need for even better medications that have fewer side effects is one of the goals of current research. In the 12-week course I teach (and for which I am my state’s coordinator), we spend considerable time talking about the various medications and their benefits and side effects.
We don’t know this guy’s history. One of the problems with mental illness is that no one knows when/if they are going to become violent. Maybe this guy has a history, maybe not. Most mental illness can be controlled with meds, but if the patient goes off, God help those nearby. These stories are always tragic.
Some years ago, a former neighbor’s son had serious mental issues. He left the institution (apparently without authorization; one might say he escaped) where he was staying, and went to their house. The folks fro the institution told the parents absolutely NOT to let him in the house, so they didn’t. He went to the local elementary school and hung himself.
Thank you for your post.
I offered only questions with possible objections as I am thinking the issues out. I cast no definite aspersions on the mentally ill, whether criminal or not. I thought I made that clear. I stated my ignorance.
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