[pachyderm]

I have been watching a PBS program called "After Newtown". A few others I have seen remind me of the same thing: the community that called itself survivors of psychiatry used to have a slogan; "nothing about us, without us". I don't see many of "us" who have experienced mental illness being asked for our input -- only the "experts" are asked. We are not all "crazies", who cannot be expected to have anything useful to contribute to the discussion. We are the ones who have experience. I think there are a number of peers in this Psych Central community who display what strikes me as a very great amount of insight and maturity -- much more so than I am used to in the general population. It is exactly the community of people who have "been there" that makes PC so valuable to me. I wish we were more visible when discussions take place that affect us so much.

[venusss]

All I can say the debate seems kinda.... scary in the media.

[yellowted]

the UK or at least my borough is really into asking 'us' I have worked very closely with the council on many things, my ideas were made real in their assessement form for mental health support and in their code of practice. and have even been in meetings where the heads of other borough councils have been asking me questions about how they can improve how they work or carry out their responsibilities towards people living with mental health. OK i know I am one of a minority, but as director of a disability charity my collegues and I are in great demand for our views and experience.

[onionknight]

If we stick with "talking points," I'm sure we will be welcome at the table. And by talking points, I'm sure you know what I mean...

I, for one, am a proud crazy person. And I plan to force myself into the conversation one day.

[lynn P.]

Very good point you made here Pachy. Although some violent cases like this might have some mental illness component, many don't. I heard a specialist (FBI agent) who said something important. The common factor in a tragedy like this is, the person has reached the point where they've lost all empathy ....... where they can't turn back. This can happen to a person who's not mentally ill. The great majority of mentally ill people won't commit an atrocity like this. Its the person who's reached the end and doesn't see the victims as humans or have any feeling for them.

[elliemay]

I think the experts can dress it up all they like and it's so easy to write this off as mental illness. I mean he had to be crazy right?

IMO this is more about despair.

But as you said Pachy, no one is asking the right people.

[Open Eyes]

I understand what you mean pachyderm and you are right, much can be learned by those that are deemed "mentally ill". And the closest we have come to hearing from someone who has struggled is the recent David Letterman interviews. However that isn't really enough meat on the bone that is needed to make the kind of difference I feel you have in mind.

Someone posted to me a while back "people don't know, nor do they care to know" and the more I work on understanding my own mental illness the more I see how true that statement really is.

What I have come to realize however is how my own mental illness came to be and that "if people truely cared to know" I may not be struggling the way I have been and for me, that goes all the way back. However, as I have been interacting with others here at PC, I have noticed that many of their issues could have also been avoided, or even if they did struggle with some kind of disability, they could have learned how to compensate for it and live a functional life.

I see so many things that our society does that is "damaging" to the average person's sense of well being, and I do know we can change that and that it could make a big difference in our society as a whole. I keep hearing the word "fundamental" used by all the political candidates, but the real infrastructure is not being addressed. I posted about that in another thread of yours entitled Democrats and Republicans.

There was talk early on about the 47% of the population that feels "entitled" and how disturbed the general public got when Romney said that this portion would not vote for him and to forget even considering that portion of the votes. Well, Obama spoke the language that brought him that portion of the votes, however he doesn't quite "get" the fundamentals either. I feel he means well, however we cannot just "throw money at it", we have to be willing to dig deeper into it and get to the real cause of it. And we also have to develope ways to address this deep cause in a way that can truely "change" it effectively. And "yes" it will be daunting, however, if we make a real commitment to it, we will begin to reep the benefits that will make a "real" difference in how "society can function better".

I do feel that if the voices of those that do struggle because of what is "not" being addressed are heard, you are right, much can be learned.

Open Eyes