So I have not written in quite a while. I don't really have a key topic that I blog about. I don't do crafts, because I am not creative nor do I have patience. I don't knit or anything like that. So I don't have anything concrete to do my blog even week about. But there have been recent events that have sparked me wanting to write again.
I know that no one really wants to keep thinking about that shooting at Sandy Hook, but as a mental health specialist I cant just sit by and not talk about the young man who did this. I am very saddened for the families who lost their babies. Those children were just so young. Other shootings have been sad, but this one has been the worst. And the heroes that have risen through this tragedy is astounding. There is Vicki Soto who lost her life by protecting her kids. And there is the other teacher who hid her kids in the bathroom and even when the cops showed up she wouldn't let them in. Then there were the cops who were the first ones on the scene and had to see the kids and had to see the sight of all that blood. Those first responders will need counseling for many years to come. The children who witnessed those horrible crimes will need some serious grief counseling as well. Which is where my passion comes in handy.
Everyone is very concerned for the families of the victims, but I would like to know what went through the kid's head to give him the boost to do what he did. As "normal" people we would never consider doing something so horrendous. He must have been struggling internally very badly to do what he did. It breaks my heart to know that this country is really hurting for more mental health care. So many times today people don't get the help they need because our society makes people feel inadequate because they need help.
Our world today sees a mental health disorder as a weakness and in many cases it is not something anyone can "control". It is a condition a person is born with or they develop through suffering tragedies. This boy who killed his mother and then killed those kids was really suffering and no one took time to check it out. Part of the responsibility lies with the parents bc many conditions begin to develop at a young age. And as a child grows up it could get worse. It could get to the point that the treatments would be more intense and take longer which just adds frustration to family and everyone else they come in contact with.
In my time spent in my psychology classes and working in the psych unit at the hospital I realized that alot of what people need is just for someone to listen to them. Many of the patients needed medication to help balance/stabilize their moods but it helps them just to talk about their issues. No, this won't solve any of the issues, but think about how great you feel after you have gotten something off your chest. Think about carrying some big "secret" around and not able to tell anyone, because you are ashamed of it and it embarrasses you. That is how many people with a mental illness feel about what they suffer with.
I'm not saying that if someone had just talked to this kid, he wouldn't have done what he did, but in many cases it could be that simple. It could be as simple as someone investing time in another person to make sure they are aware that someone would care if they were gone. In my psychology classes we learn that just reaching out to someone can do more good than a person knows. I know that in my own life, I would not be the person I am today without the people who invested and still invest time in me. I am lucky to love and be loved by many people. And I still struggle with knowing if anyone but my family truly cares. But I know that those people do.
I am constantly praying for the victims families of the Sandy Hook tragedy, but I am also praying for the remaining family of the boy who did the shooting. And I hope that something throughout this tragedy shows our health care system that mental health is just as important as physical health.
