“Insanity -- a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world”
R.D Laing (psychiatrist)
Suffering from a mental illness is like been trapped in a labyrinth. The labyrinth is dark and vast and it is difficult to find an exit. Those people are often labeled easily by the “normal” ones as being disturbed, crazy and scary. When a murder occurs we are ready to assume that this was an act of an insane person and we are ready to separate us from them because we are normal and they are not. For me what is normal is something relevant and the most gruesome acts can are caused by the so called “normal” people.
Before you haste to condemn and stigmatize someone for being crazy or psycho consider the following facts: People that suffer from a mental illness are not more likely to commit a murder that the so called “normal" people. In particular schizophrenics that have been stigmatized and feared are usually catatonic and passive. They are more likely become a threat to themselves as they often commit suicide and its rare to become a threat to others and can only happen if untreated. If a person that suffers from a mental illness commits a murder do not haste to assume that this happened because he/she had a mental illness. One should consider factors like the experiences and environment that interplay and this can be the cause of the excessive anger that is bottled up inside someone before they commit a crime. Even amongst serial killers what was discovered that they had in common was heavy consumption of alcohol and drugs that can elicit violent behavior. Violent behavior can also be elicited when someone has a personality disorder but again every person that has a personality disorder does not commit homicides. The causes are deeper and more complex and I think really we have to consider them individually with every case. The so called normal people are committing more murders.
The mind is a complex mechanism and there is always logic as to why things happen even behind the most gruesome acts. These acts are disturbing but society itself is disturbing and promotes violence, alienation and insecurity. Moreover, if there is a person that committed a murder and suffered from a mental illness it is sad for people that suffer from a disorder to be stigmatized. What they need is our support, ongoing treatment and a secure base so that they don’t feel that they are falling in the void.
(art by pesare)
17 comments:
I don't think you always have to be 'crazy' or mentally ill in order to commit serious crimes like murder. I do believe that the so called "will" plays a big part in deciding on this.
We are who we have become through our experiences. For some, these experiences lead to decisions rather more radical than other people would make, yet there is no ... 'illness'.
Not sure if I am expressing what I want to say clearly. :p
@apotheosis
I totally agree with you and apart from will its an interplay of environment, experiences and timing.Most people though view it like this and I have heard a lot lately especially after the incident in Virginia Tech.
pix, χαιρομαι που καταπιανεσαι με τετοιου ειδους σκληρα θεματα.τιποτα αλλο.
Excluding persons from our society because they have some kind of mental illness is a crime by itself. As you say everybody can commit a serious crime but we must put the blame on somebody. It's so sad!
Δεν θεωρώ ότι υπάρχει κανένας λογικός άνθρωπος. Και μεις έχουμε εμμονές που μας κάνουν να γινόμαστε παράλογοι... άρα καλύτερα να βοηθήσουμε αυτούς τους ανθρώπους..ποτέ δεν ξέρουμε αν κάποτε βρεθούμε και εμείς οι ίδιοι στη θέση τους..
Πράγματι ρε pixie ωραία και βαριά θέματα...
Είναι τόσο πολύπλοκο το μυαλό ενός ανθρώπου, που δεν είμαστε σε θέση να διανοηθούμε καν πόσο...
Οι αντιδράσεις λοιπόν που καθορίζονται από το μυαλό αυτό είναι συνιστώσες πάρα πολλών πραγμάτων χωρίς τόσο πολύ συγκεκριμένα μοτίβα-πρότυπα(άσχετα αν η ψυχιατρική τα έχει κατατάξει).
Σωστά όπως λες δεν πρέπει η κοινωνία να βάζει ταμπέλες... αλλά καλό σαν πρώτο βήμα για τους ανθρώπους με ψυχολογικές διαταραχές είναι να θεωρηθούν και να θεωρήσουν και τους εαυτούς τους απλά ασθενής που χρειάζονται βοήθεια και θεραπεία.(και το ασθενείς δεν είναι ταμπέλα..ασθενής όπως κάποιος πάσχει απο αμυγδαλίτιδα).
@fuzzy
ναι με έπιασε μάλλον στα δυο τελευταία post τα θέματα είναι λίγάκι βαριά.Αλλά τι να κάνω;Οι μέρες είναι τέτοιες...
@ggk
I think that is so sad too...
@sunshine
Πραγματικά όλοι έχουμε τις αδυναμίες και τις ανασφάλιες μας και όλοι αντιμετωπίζουμε δυσκολίες και ένα μεγάλο μέρος του πληθυσμού ψυχικές διαταραχές.Ειδικά στην Ελλάδα οι αγχώδεις διαταραχές είναι κάτι το σύνηθες.
@narita
Eγώ δεν διαφωνώ με την κατάταξη της ψυχιατρικής που είναι χρήσιμη για τη θεραπεία, διαφωνώ με το να παίρνουμε απο άγνοια αυτη τη κατάταξη σαν συνάνθρωποι και να την χρησιμοποιούμε ενάντια σε αυτον που πάσχει και να τον στιγματίζουμε ή απομονώνουμε...Πραγματικά το ανθρώπινο μυαλό είναι πολύπλοκο και απρόβλεπτο.
Με επηρέασες με τις επισκέψεις σου στον ψυχίατρο :)
Μου κάνει τεράστια εντύπωση αυτό εδώ το post σου.
Πρόσφατα βλέπεις άφησες επαινετικό σχόλιο ("Μπράβο" "well done" κλπ) σε post που χαρακτηρίζει τον Κορεάτη "πουτάνας γιο" και εύχεται να ήταν κλειδωμένος σε κάποιο μπουντρούμι ασύλου και να "ετρωγε τα κομμάτια του"...
??
Μάλλον δε διάβασες όλα τα σχόλια μου σε αυτο το post του storm.Σίγουρα συμφωνώ με το οτι ήταν ανατριχιαστικό αυτο που έγινε και συμφώνησα με το θυμό του.Δεν συμφωνώ με τον χαρακτηρισμό του storm αλλά δεν με ενοχλεί γιατι ξέρω οτι υπερβάλλει για να δείξει το θυμό του και όχι επειδή το εννοεί.Επιπλέον διαφωνώ στο οτι ο Κορεάτης έχει ψυχική ασθένεια ή στο οτι η ψυχική ασθένεια μπορεί να τον έκανε να σκοτώσει.Αυτο το αναφέρω στα επόμενα σχόλια οπου διαφωνούσα με ένα άλλο σχολιαστή.Αλλά δεν διάβασες παρακάτω προφανώς κυριε ανώνυμε.Το άρθρο του storm και η διαφωνία μου με κάποια σχόλια είναι που με έκανε να γράψω αυτό το άρθρο.
??
Αυτή ήταν η απαντηση μου στο blog του storm.To μπράβο σε ένα άλλο σχολιο μου αναφέρετε στο οτι το άρθρο του ήταν αφορμή για να ακουστούν διαφορετικές απόψεις.Τελικά πρέπει να είσαι μεγάλος Ελληνάρας.
"Συμφωνώ αν και νομίζω οτι η εύκολη αγορά και πρόσβαση σε όπλα στην Αμερική παίζει κάποιο ρόλο στο οτι υπάρχει αύξηση εκεί σε εγκληματα μαζικά που διαπράττουν νεοι ή παιδιά.
Σίγουρα διαφωνώ με κάποιο σχόλιο που αναφέρει οτι δεν είναι εύκολο να βρείς "disturbed people"για να προβλέψεις
η οτι τα άτομα που κάνουν αυτους τουσ φόνους είναι άρρωστοι"don't have all the screws tightly screwed"
Είναι μεγάλος μύθος το να πιστεύουμε οτι κάποιος που δεν είναι ψυχικά υγειής μπορεί να σκοτώσε πιο εύκολα απο τον καθένα απο εμάς που δεν είναι "disturbed"
The utmost provocation has always been the other people themselves. It is us who had ourselves killed. But why put the blame on just another? There is really something as "will", and acting as you feel means that you just dont use your brain.
There is this the most common mental illness: Lack of empathy. Egocentricism is the curse making everyone a potential murderer.
On the other hand, there are different kinds of mental illnesses. People should know the distinction. I am not an expert on mental ilnesses- I am trying to use my reasoning.
Still, you really cant trust a person who cant control himself to a certain degree. But the solution to this is not running from them and desert them to isolation and humiliation. That would just prove their anger right.
But I must accept it, it is hard for someone to accept such people. One cant trust even normal (that is quite dangerous, also)peoples.
I got lost in my thoughts again. Maybe I am contradicting with myself... Hmm... Maybe another time.
@gorgi
I think that what is normal is much a question of age and culture as the term normality has meant different things throughout human history and will mean something else in the ages to come.What is sure is what you said that people in general do not trust each other so how can we trust someone who is vulnerable.The question is not even trusting or accepting rather respecting.Thank you for replying gorgi!
I have not much to add rather than thank you Pixie for your article. Someone had to say it! The Virginia incident gave a hard strike from my heart, for it's sad both from the side of the victims and that of an autistic person who was teased and led to this gruesome action because of anger, some wicked plan or any other confusing reason that bumped into his head at the particular day. Unfortunatelly he won't be remembered as Jesus Christ (duh) and this could only hurt the autistic community and produce more hate. Although I am positive that this won't happen because most of the individuals who suffer from mental disorders seems to be nice people and those incidents of killing people are much less in percentage in the suffering individuals than in "normal" people.
@??: In Stormrider's blog I remained neutral. I didn't even bothered to reply. For my reply wouldn't be not angry but rather sad and sometimes neutral because I can understand his anger even though I am sad for both sides. It's the first time I didn't laughed by storm's hilarious digging (θάψιμο, how to say in english). Pixie wanted to warn us to not be affected by that incident and make the mistake to throw our arrows to mental disordered people. Perhaps she was a bit neutral in how she expressed that and you didn't noticed it. It's not easy to go there and say "Hey Storm! Your opinion sucks!!!" because that is supposed (or could be misunderstood) to imply that you approved the killings. I didn't do that, even though it wasn't that I disagreed but understood his anger. Mine was more a sadness than anger..
κάθε άνθρωπος έχει διαφορετική αντίληψη, πως μπορούν και ενοχοποιούν κάποιον με κανόνες;
καλό σου Σαββατοκύριακο
@optimus
I thought that this incidence would affect many people and I certainly thought of you.You presented a glimpse of his side as I also heard that he was an immigrant and that he was never accepted by people or at school.He was propably introverted and reserved and not many people talked to him.I always try to think the reasons behind that are not so apparent.
Don't be angry with storm as its easy to misunderstand what he is saying if you don't know him.I am glad that he expresses his opinion and gives a change to rethink difficult issues that affects us.I think that storms opinion is not different from ours but he is spontaneous.But even if it is different he has the courage to say what many people would think and create a forum for discussion.
@melomenos
Νομίζω και εγώ οτι πρέπει να βλέπουμε κάθε περίπτωση ξεχωριστά.Φιλάκια
Κάθε τι που ξεφεύγει από τη "νόρμα" μας προβληματίζει και μας φοβίζει αφάνταστα.Δεν ξέρουμε πώς να το αντιμετωπίσουμε και το εξοστρακίζουμε αισθανόμενοι εμείς καλά και ο ασθενής ο αποδιοπομπαίος τράγος.
Μόνο με κατανόηση και αγάπη θα έχουμε την ελπίδα να πλησιάσουμε την αρρώστεια και να απαλύνουμε,όσο γίνεται,τα συμπτώματα.
Και να ξέρουμε πως δεν είμαστε εμείς οι ξεχωριστοί και οι "άλλοι",στην προκειμένη περίπτωση οι ψυχικά ασθενείς,οι στιγματισμένοι.Εμείς τους στιγματίζουμε με τη συμπεριφορά μας και τους πληγώνουμε.
Post a Comment