Mental Illness Among Us

Quote of the day:
“You question authority, eh?”
“No. I annoy authority. More effect, less effort.”
--Darby Conley in Get Fuzzy.

As a result of the Virginia Tech tragedy, we seem to have entered a debate about how to deal with mentally ill people.

The main issue with this kind of conversation is that “mental illness” is not a pure condition. Virtually all of those who have psychiatric problems do not have them 100% of the time. There are moments of clarity and lucidity mixed in.

And sometimes people with psychiatric problems have a charming, interesting, or at least somewhat normal side to their personalities.

When I was the program director of KPBS radio, we would often get letters from interesting people. One who was quite memorable was the correspondent we came to call “Dog Man.”

Dog Man would write to me once or twice a month, and his letters would always begin engagingly and thoughtfully, as he responded to a news or feature item we had aired. But somewhere midway through each letter he would change course, and begin talking about the problem of dogs defecating in local parks.

Every letter we received from him ultimately was about this issue. I would always write back, thanking him for his thoughtfulness, though it was clear there was something going on with Dog Man that needed some attention.

I have to confess that it became quite an event for us when a letter from Dog Man arrived. We became quite curious about exactly how he was going to tie together the subject of his letter and his real obsession--dog feces in local parks.

Unfortunately, one day Dog Man went too far. We received a letter that not only had his usual complaint but also threatened the mayor. We called the police. After that, we never heard from Dog Man again.

I sometimes wonder what happened to him.

Are We All Psychiatrists?

Quote of the day:
“Commuters run to their destinations and away from themselves.”
--Timothy “Speed” Levitch, New York tour guide

Quote of the day no. 2:
“It comes down to a balance between providing a platform to a madman and helping explain a riddle that has confounded many Americans.”
--Jon Klein, CNN president

Klein’s comment has become the standard response to those who have complained about the airing of videos, photos and writings of the man who killed 32 people last Monday at Virginia Tech. The way Klein frames it, I’m not sure it’s a true choice.

He says the good in airing it is “helping to explain a riddle.” To the extent the killer’s actions are a “riddle,” they will remain a “riddle” until all the evidence is thoroughly examined by experienced clinical psychiatrists.

I believe we already know the answer to the “riddle” as much as most of us ever will, or need to. Klein suggests it by using the archaic word “madman.”

Wasn’t it pretty clear before we all saw this stuff that there is no rational reason for this man’s actions? At best, any rational “cause” will wind up being just an irrational trigger for him to act on his delusions.

And “delusions” is the key word. Isn’t it also clear that this man was delusional? His thoughts and beliefs were disconnected from reality.

Of course there is a specific clinical diagnosis for what was wrong with him, and that diagnosis will likely be made sometime in coming days by people who know what they’re doing. Most likely that diagnosis is not going to add much to our understanding of why this happened.

For me, it’s enough to know that 1) he was seriously ill and 2) he was seriously delusional.

The really serious question is: what do we do now?

Hokie Grief, Hokie Hope

Quote of the day:
“We are not moving on. We are embracing our grief.”
--Nikki Giovanni, professor, Virginia Tech

Quote of the day no. 2:
“I remember thinking on Sept. 11th how I was so lucky to be where I was because it was possibly the safest place on earth.”
--Former student, Virginia Tech

My niece is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech. In an e-mail yesterday, she described her reaction to the shootings:

“It's really surreal right now.  Yesterday was a lot of shock and disbelief.  This is just not something that happens in Blacksburg.  The usual crimes are alcohol abuse, fraternity pranks or misbehaving football players.  There's just no frame of reference for violence like this.

“Clearly everyone I know is really upset.  As it sinks in it's been a lot of sadness and grief.  I was telling someone earlier that I've always thought of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech as a safe haven, this place that holds only good memories for me and my friends, and now I feel so violated.  How could someone ruin that peace? 

“I don't know how a person has the capacity to walk into classrooms and do that; much less someone I can see myself walking on campus with.  I remember thinking on Sept. 11th how I was so lucky to be where I was because it was possibly the safest place on earth.  It's been hard to have that feeling destroyed and seeing the VT logo displayed all over the news under the word ‘massacre.’
 
“There are a lot of rumors flying around the e-mail world right now.  But basically the general feeling is grief and loss.  People are pretty upset at the media for trying to blame the administration.  There's a lot of support for President Steger and how well he's handling it all despite the media questions on what he could have done differently in those two hours.  I think we're all hoping this doesn't tear the campus apart in debate.  That would be the only way to make this event sadder.
 
“Anyhow, I expect today and tomorrow to be pretty awful since they'll start releasing names and photos and interviewing families.  I'm sad, very sad.  But after some grieving I think the students, faculty and alumni will move forward together, and that's what I'm looking forward to right now.   
 
“I will be okay, I'm still sort of reeling from it all and processing it.  In true Hokie Spirit, my office-mate is wearing his ugly maroon and orange VT tie today.  That made me smile, because that's what VT is all about. 
 
“It really has been a trying week and I think there are some more tough times ahead before any healing can start.  I have an amazing support system, as well as fabulous Hokie friends, so everyone has really been pulling together and that is always a great comfort. 

“I think we all have a lot of grieving to do before we move forward, but the community spirit of VT and Blacksburg has always been what made it such a wonderful place, so I don't doubt that both grieving and moving on will happen together.  But right now there is just a lot of sadness.

“Keep sending good thoughts and prayers down to Blacksburg, they need it.”

Why?

In the interest of perspective and understanding, I offer two simple quotes.

First:
“We’re trying to find someone who knew him. The university has been calling him a loner.”
--Amie Steele, editor of Collegiate Times, the campus newspaper at Virginia Tech

Second:
“In studying mass murderers over 25 years, my colleague, Jack Levin, and I have identified five factors that exist in virtually all cases.

“First. perpetrators have a long history of frustration and failure and a diminished ability to cope with life’s disappointments.

“Second, they externalize blame, frequently complaining that others didn’t give them a chance. Sometimes they argue that their ethnic or racial group or gender isn’t getting the breaks that others are.

“Third, these killers generally lack emotional support from friends or family. You’ve read the ‘he always seemed to be something of a loner’ quote? It has a grounding in reality.

“Fourth, they generally suffer a precipitating event they view as catastrophic. This is most often some sort of major disappointment: the loss of a job or the breakup of a relationship. In massacres at colleges and universities, it’s often about getting a grade the shooter feels he didn’t deserve.

“Fifth, they need access to a weapon powerful enough to satisfy their need for revenge.”

--James Alan Fox, professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University, in today’s Los Angeles Times.

Time to Restrain Our Opinions

When we see a tragic event such as this morning’s shootings at Virginia Tech, I think there is way too much talking about it.

There are maybe 10 or 12 salient facts about the event that are helpful for all of us to know. Beyond that, most is noisy yakking. Opinions, opinions, everywhere.

Everyone has plenty to say, but who is listening?

I vote for some quiet, reflection, and thought. And listening, especially to those directly devastated by this.