The Case for the Mental Health Argument
Like the rest of this country, I've spent the past week wrapping my head around another senseless mass shooting. I've looked for answers, I've emailed my senators calling them out for taking money from the NRA and calling them f*****g monsters (true story), I've hugged my baby tight, I've asked my husband not to shield students with his body if it came to that because I don't know how I'd live without him (I asked him that, because I already know he would do it no matter what), and I've questioned my own God.
I've been angry because so many people want to point to mental health issues in this country instead of gun regulations. I've rejected the argument because it feels like a cop out. It's easier to point fingers at the people with mental health disorders (about 18.5% of American Adults) than it is to point fingers at gun owners (about 25% of American Adults - though these numbers are more prone to inaccuracy).
So in an effort to be well rounded, I want to focus on the mental health crisis in America. There is absolutely no denying that mental health plays a significant role in mass shootings. A healthy person with a vendetta does not march in to a school and kill innocent people. However, a healthy person with a vendetta may very well pull out their gun on one person and kill them. But, that's not the argument today. The fact is that it takes someone unique to carry out the mass shootings. Whether they are plagued with depression, have been "brainwashed" (for lack of better words) by a terrorist group like ISIS, or snap after being fired for a job that made them miserable in the first place - these people undoubtedly have more going on than a gun in their home.
Mental health is a serious problem in our country. As I mentioned above, 18.5% of adults have some kind of mental illness - that comes out to more than 45,000,000 people (yes, million) with about 9.6M having suicidal thoughts. To put this in perspective, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America- and is said to be a health crisis in our nation. About 47% having at least one or more risk factor for a heart attack, and every year about 735,000 have a heart attack (610,000 are fatal).
So, we have 735,000 heart attacks a year, and about 82.9% of them are fatal (cross multiply and divide, yall!).
The 10th leading cause of death in America is suicide. There are about 44,965 suicide deaths a year in the United States, but there are 1.1M attempts. So, while the fatality rate of suicide/mental health related deaths are lower than heart attack, the frequency is significantly larger.
Okay, I just wanted to be sure I backed up my claims with some research. Moving on...
It's an epidemic in our country. As someone who deals with mental illness, I can say first hand how hard it is to find appropriate care. It has taken me years to find a team of doctors that are working with me and with each other to help me. What has been even more difficult is that many times mental health providers don't accept insurance - because frankly the insurance companies screw them over. Mental health care is expensive. Sure you can get some free counseling through a church, but as much as I love my God, simply finding hope in my soul is not enough to balance the imbalance of chemicals in my brain. Believe me, I wish it were that easy because my medications cost us about $100/mo (on top of weekly therapy, bi-weekly nutrition therapy, and ~monthly psychologist visits). The free access is helpful if all you need is someone to talk to, but if you need more intervention (which most real mental health does) it's not quite so easy.
Not to mention, our current administration keeps taking away access to healthcare for those whose employers don't offer it. They've dropped the mandate of health care coverage- meaning I could easily no longer have insurance, making it impossible to cover my mental health care, which would lead me down a deep dark spiral. But hey, I could still pick up a gun and who knows what I'd do then.
Another thing is our society in general. We live in a world where we are made to feel weak because we were born with brains that are not all wired the same. Men especially have it tough (keep this in mind, as most mass shooters are male), because not only do they have society telling everyone as a whole to buck up and deal with it- but men aren't really supposed to have emotions and feelings in our society. So in order to get the help they need they have to jump the normal hurdle all of us do, and then the gender stereotype hurdle.
We, in America, really don't make it easy to get the care so many people need.
Aside from the stereotypes and general access to care, America is a "working" country. It's part of what makes us the land of opportunity. You can work work work until you achieve success. You want that beautiful home with a white picket fence? Well, you just keep working until you die so you can have it. But wait! You also have to work 80 hours a week to send your children to the best schools. You will miss all their soccer games and birthday parties because you're working all weekend long.
We work ourselves to the point of burnout and exhaustion. And frankly most of us don't see the return on investment that is promised to us. We live in a world where our homes should be immaculate, our kids should be well behaved, we love to work- and prioritize it over everything else, and we are all freaking miserable. No wonder so many people have mental health issues. There is a reason so many people have anxiety. We do not operate in a way that allows for self care and healthy life balance.
Our consolation prize? A safe full of different guns in every size and shape. Since we work so damn hard, we are able to buy a collection we are passionate about.
But maybe one day you're in such a rush to work that you forget to lock that safe. And, since genetics are a key part of mental health, your teenage kid also suffering from mental health problems (that you may not even see because you're so busy at work) sees an opportunity. Suddenly, the news is flooded with the latest mass shooting and you look at the screen and see the suspect is your own kid, and you ask yourself how?
So....yeah. Mental health care is a real problem in this country. I am in full agreement something should be done about it. However, the two epidemics of gun control/safety and health care access go hand in hand. It would be naive to think you can focus on one and not the other.
I've been angry because so many people want to point to mental health issues in this country instead of gun regulations. I've rejected the argument because it feels like a cop out. It's easier to point fingers at the people with mental health disorders (about 18.5% of American Adults) than it is to point fingers at gun owners (about 25% of American Adults - though these numbers are more prone to inaccuracy).
So in an effort to be well rounded, I want to focus on the mental health crisis in America. There is absolutely no denying that mental health plays a significant role in mass shootings. A healthy person with a vendetta does not march in to a school and kill innocent people. However, a healthy person with a vendetta may very well pull out their gun on one person and kill them. But, that's not the argument today. The fact is that it takes someone unique to carry out the mass shootings. Whether they are plagued with depression, have been "brainwashed" (for lack of better words) by a terrorist group like ISIS, or snap after being fired for a job that made them miserable in the first place - these people undoubtedly have more going on than a gun in their home.
Mental health is a serious problem in our country. As I mentioned above, 18.5% of adults have some kind of mental illness - that comes out to more than 45,000,000 people (yes, million) with about 9.6M having suicidal thoughts. To put this in perspective, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America- and is said to be a health crisis in our nation. About 47% having at least one or more risk factor for a heart attack, and every year about 735,000 have a heart attack (610,000 are fatal).
So, we have 735,000 heart attacks a year, and about 82.9% of them are fatal (cross multiply and divide, yall!).
The 10th leading cause of death in America is suicide. There are about 44,965 suicide deaths a year in the United States, but there are 1.1M attempts. So, while the fatality rate of suicide/mental health related deaths are lower than heart attack, the frequency is significantly larger.
Okay, I just wanted to be sure I backed up my claims with some research. Moving on...
It's an epidemic in our country. As someone who deals with mental illness, I can say first hand how hard it is to find appropriate care. It has taken me years to find a team of doctors that are working with me and with each other to help me. What has been even more difficult is that many times mental health providers don't accept insurance - because frankly the insurance companies screw them over. Mental health care is expensive. Sure you can get some free counseling through a church, but as much as I love my God, simply finding hope in my soul is not enough to balance the imbalance of chemicals in my brain. Believe me, I wish it were that easy because my medications cost us about $100/mo (on top of weekly therapy, bi-weekly nutrition therapy, and ~monthly psychologist visits). The free access is helpful if all you need is someone to talk to, but if you need more intervention (which most real mental health does) it's not quite so easy.
Not to mention, our current administration keeps taking away access to healthcare for those whose employers don't offer it. They've dropped the mandate of health care coverage- meaning I could easily no longer have insurance, making it impossible to cover my mental health care, which would lead me down a deep dark spiral. But hey, I could still pick up a gun and who knows what I'd do then.
Another thing is our society in general. We live in a world where we are made to feel weak because we were born with brains that are not all wired the same. Men especially have it tough (keep this in mind, as most mass shooters are male), because not only do they have society telling everyone as a whole to buck up and deal with it- but men aren't really supposed to have emotions and feelings in our society. So in order to get the help they need they have to jump the normal hurdle all of us do, and then the gender stereotype hurdle.
We, in America, really don't make it easy to get the care so many people need.
Aside from the stereotypes and general access to care, America is a "working" country. It's part of what makes us the land of opportunity. You can work work work until you achieve success. You want that beautiful home with a white picket fence? Well, you just keep working until you die so you can have it. But wait! You also have to work 80 hours a week to send your children to the best schools. You will miss all their soccer games and birthday parties because you're working all weekend long.
We work ourselves to the point of burnout and exhaustion. And frankly most of us don't see the return on investment that is promised to us. We live in a world where our homes should be immaculate, our kids should be well behaved, we love to work- and prioritize it over everything else, and we are all freaking miserable. No wonder so many people have mental health issues. There is a reason so many people have anxiety. We do not operate in a way that allows for self care and healthy life balance.
Our consolation prize? A safe full of different guns in every size and shape. Since we work so damn hard, we are able to buy a collection we are passionate about.
But maybe one day you're in such a rush to work that you forget to lock that safe. And, since genetics are a key part of mental health, your teenage kid also suffering from mental health problems (that you may not even see because you're so busy at work) sees an opportunity. Suddenly, the news is flooded with the latest mass shooting and you look at the screen and see the suspect is your own kid, and you ask yourself how?
So....yeah. Mental health care is a real problem in this country. I am in full agreement something should be done about it. However, the two epidemics of gun control/safety and health care access go hand in hand. It would be naive to think you can focus on one and not the other.
Totally agree that it goes hand in hand
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