Creigh Deeds stabbed, son dead & Deeds badly injured

[looking4home]

Originally Posted by mikebnllnb

The state of emergency psychiatric medicine and psychiatric medicine as a whole is a travesty. If we don't start making mental health a priority we will continue to see these kind of things happen. The first thing we can start doing as a State is to start teaching young people about mental illness. Remove the stigma that mentally ill people are just crazy. A person with bipolar disorder is just as ill as someone with diabetes.

You couldn't be more wrong. You can teach kids all you want about mental illness, but how is that going to change anything? The problem is the laws, which were initially enacted under the Kennedy administration, and later furthered by the courts in each state.

[mikebnllnb]

Originally Posted by looking4home

You couldn't be more wrong. You can teach kids all you want about mental illness, but how is that going to change anything? The problem is the laws, which were initially enacted under the Kennedy administration, and later furthered by the courts in each state.

Number one it's a place to start. Kids that have mental issues tend to hide them from everyone due to the stigma attached. When you start with education it will filter up to the parents who as a whole don't know what to look for. I agree many laws need to be looked at, but the issue with most mental health laws is that there is a fine line between them and the violation of people's civil liberties. And changing legislation on anything is a crazy up hill battle.

So forgive me I'm not sure what I couldn't be more wrong about.

Do you think many kids know the difference between depression and bipolar disorder? How about bulimia and anorexia? Supporting people with these issues starts with education.

With children the laws in place are not the issue. It's lack of education and the stigma many of them face from peers. It's the lack care available in Northern Virginia. It's also what many insurance companies will cover with regards to mental illness. Luckily that's changing with the ACA.