The recent tragedy at Virginia Tech graphically demonstrated the consequences of untreated mental illness. Less dramatic examples of such untreated disorders are seen around us everyday. The mental illness roots may go unrecognized because the anguish is internal. As a result, others may be oblivious to the problems with which the person is struggling. The consequences of these problems, however, are much more visible.
This column has mentioned, in the past, the importance of finding root causes of problems. Mental illness is one of the major root causes to investigate. Schools and the families they serve often struggle to counter-act these symptoms. Such things as alcohol and drug abuse, crimes, violence, homelessness, and welfare dependence can often be directly traced to a chemical imbalance in the brain.
For example, many people with such an unidentified or untreated imbalance begin abusing drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. Others may suffer from impulsive behaviors that lead them to make bad decisions that have life-long consequences. Some of the crime and violence we see around us, for example, have their origins in this impulsivity. Sometimes violence can also be traced to untreated disorders that cause a person to struggle with emotional control.
Such violence can also be traced to untreated paranoia and delusion. This appears to be the case for the Virginia Tech killer.
This is not to say that people who commit crimes or who harm others have no responsibility for their actions. Sin is still a terrible reality. Please do not misunderstand what is said here. It is also true, however, that mental illness causes many people to have limited ability to manage their actions. The consequences of this can be tragic.
For example, many of the homeless people in cities throughout the country find a productive life nearly impossible due to untreated mental diseases. Such people simply survive from day to day.
Perhaps one of the most common mental disturbances is depression. Depression sometimes is triggered by tragic events such as a death in the family. Other times, it is due to a genetically-based chemical imbalance. Untreated depression leads to not only personal misery but also to drug and alcohol abuse and even suicide. The consequences of depression are life altering and can be extremely difficult to overcome.
So what is being done in our community to counteract the effects of mental illness? Certainly institutions and services are in place to help. Sadly, not enough of either are available to meet the growing need. Many people who require help do not get it because of this shortage. Others do not receive help because they are uninsured and cannot afford the medications or the treatments. Still others fail to get help because of the stigma of mental illness.
This stigma may be one of the biggest barriers to solving the problem. In our society, people with mental sicknesses are considered like the lepers of old. They are labeled as crazy and unworthy of a “normal” person’s friendship. They sometimes wander through life untreated and avoided. As a result, many of these suffer the tragic consequences of their illness that are listed above.
Treating mental illnesses takes money, expertise, commitment, determination, and, most importantly, compassion. Sadly, because many in our society do not understand mental illness, necessary compassion is often lacking. Thus, the mentally ill can wander through their days as pariahs who suffer both emotionally and socially.
What more can be done to address this growing problem? Not being an expert in the area, this writer cannot give detailed solutions. What he can say is this: We must start by recognizing the magnitude of the problem and the dire consequences of ignoring it. We must also develop the mindset that a mental illness is no different from a physical one. It is due to a chemical imbalance in the body, in this case the brain, which forces the person to struggle against a painful existence. Such people are not bad or weird. They are simply people who need help.
Communities ignore the problems of the mentally ill at their own peril. Until this is addressed with resolve, the tragedies will continue. The toll on our society will also continue to mount, and the suffering will expand unabated. And one final thought: How does one calculate the cost of these wasted lives?
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