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Liv28 said:
I guess I just am left feeling confused about everything..I..but I feel that in some ways..it might be taken advantage of..and the people that REALLY could benefit and really NEED to benefit..won't..and others that don't need it..others maybe working the system in their favor?? I dunno..maybe this is just me thinking TOO much..

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I think this is a very confusing topic. It's complex and engages all kinds of emotions, beliefs, and thoughts. And I agree with you that there is a potential for abuse in the system when using a defense related to a mental illness. There is a similar issue about death penalties and people with mental retardation. All of a sudden many on death row are getting IQ tests and claiming they are MR. Fortunately, there is more to a diagnosis of MR than just an IQ score. That behavior is clouding and confusing the real issue of whether it's ethical to put someone to death who is impaired by MR. So yeah, I think similar approaches can and do happen already. And that's sad. And makes me angry.

Whoever convinced me that life got easier as I got older was obviously selling something.

gg