In the wake of mass shootings, let’s put our money and time into treating the real problem — mental illness

To the Editor:

After yet another mass shooting, President Barack Obama and Governor Andrew Cuomo seem to only see gun control and the gun lobby as the end-all cure for these tragedies.  In virtually every case, the gunman had a history of some form of mental illness.

Yet, just this week there was news about several youth mental-health facilities being closed in the western part of the state to save money, consolidating them with other general facilities. Moreover almost every family has or will have at least one member of their family battle depression, addictions, or other mental illnesses at one time or another in their lives.

Not only is there still a huge stigma attached, people in the middle of the struggle are reluctant to admit they have any illness at all and finding help is not easy. General practitioners are quick to dole out prescriptions that, without intense supervision, often make the symptoms worse.

When these medications are started, people often don't like the feeling they get and stop them all together or don't follow the dosages prescribed.  If you are afraid for the safety of someone battling a mental illness, there is very little you can do if that person does not want treatment.

Emergency rooms and hospitals will only keep them for a short period and treatment centers are full and often have specialized their treatment to certain illnesses with strict criteria for acceptance.

People of a certain age were told not to air their dirty laundry — certain things you just didn't share with other people, so it's no surprise there is no large outcry for our government to better fund and encourage widespread, easily accessible treatment for mental illness.

In addition, we as human beings can't fathom that our loved one, that child you have loved and nurtured, that father who has always been the rock in the family, that mild-mannered woman with the perfect smile, could ever do anything to harm themselves or others.  And, when that moment of realization does come, who can you tell?

My family has firsthand experience with family members battling addictions that can go on for years with many ups and downs.

We have also experienced the devastating loss of a loved one who had an unexpected bout of depression lasting only a few months, but resulted in him taking his own life.  It was sudden and unexplainable but clearly he was so miserable he didn't think he would ever recover.

Because of these experiences, I now know there are organizations out there, but rarely have I seen a public-service announcement telling people about warning signs and who to call if there is a crisis.

What we really need is a network of law enforcement and health-care facilities available at a moment’s notice and a huge marketing campaign to make sure everyone knows they are there and how to contact them.

There needs to be a safe place that will accept anyone, for any reason, and of any age, for evaluation and then follow through to place them properly or connect them with a support system.  And all of this needs to be normalized.

These shootings happened because of someone in crisis having no place to turn except to do the unthinkable.  Let’s put our money and time into treating the real problem, not the result.

Maureen Abbott

East Berne

More Letters to the Editor

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.