Is it worth the cost?...

This article was written by U.S. Rep Ron Barber in Arizona.  This man is a survivor of the shooting in Tucson that so severely injured Gabby Giffords.  Six people died in that shooting.  Thirteen others were injured. So, Rep. Barber knows something about violence.  He has experienced it personally.  Although the connection between mental illness and violence is not high statistically, it is important to look at how we can improve the ways that we treat and deal with those who are potentially violent.  As Rep. Barber says, 95% of those who are mentally ill are not violent. Here is the link to the article:  http://bit.ly/10DB8lc 

Rep. Barber is clear that he thinks that the path forward is early identification and treatment.  And he talks about how we have cut funds to potential mental health treatment.  Here is the relevant information about funding for treatment: “According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, states have cut $1.8 billion from their mental health budgets during the economic recession. Sixty percent of people living with a mental illness are not receiving the care that they need.” Sixty percent?  Really? How can we claim that we are trying to deal with the issue of mental illness if we don’t provide treatment for people?

Will providing treatment change the numbers of violent outbursts from mass murderers?  We don’t know.  Personally, I think that the violence in our society is a multi-pronged issue and probably requires many different approaches, including the one that gun advocates don’t want to look at. And that is reasonable and logical gun control measures. There is no reason, at least no legitimate reason in my opinion, that people require the ability to build an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons and huge numbers of magazines. 

It is so important to recognize that mental illness is a medical problem. As we discuss solutions, that is something that we have to recognize.  If we don’t provide access to services for those suffering from physical diseases, there are clear and recognizable consequences in terms of early death for people. Likewise, when we don’t provide access to treatment for those dealing with mental illnesses, we are looking at consequences. One is that we don’t have the ability to provide early identification for people who are potentially violent.   We may not be able to identify the next Jerad Lee Loughner.  And it may be you or your family member that loses their life as a consequence. That may be the most important fact that we should be looking at. Is providing access to services worth the cost?  You be the judge.  I know what I think.