A
few weeks ago, we broadcast a radio show* about gun law reform. The topic of mental health screening came up –
this was the same week that Aaron Alexis killed 12 people at the Washington
Navy Yard. Many of our panelists and
callers raised questions about the inadequacy of mental health screening in the
United States. We agreed we would do a
show on mental health in the near future. That future has accelerated towards us.
US CAPITOL BUILDING, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
US CAPITOL BUILDING, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Yesterday,
a young lady was shot and killed by police outside the US Capitol building.
Today we are hearing conflicting reports that she may have been suffering from
post-partum depression following the birth of her daughter last year; and that
she has suffered from severe mental health problems all her life. We may never know the truth. Miriam Carey, a 34
year old mother of one, was a dental hygienist who lived in Stamford,
Connecticut – and a college graduate.
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Just
20 days earlier, on September 13, Aaron Alexis, also 34, took the lives of 12
colleagues and injured eight more at the Washington Navy Yard. A former full-time Navy reservist (an
aviation electrician’s mate third class) with a concealed-carry permit in
Texas, Alexis received an honorable discharge in January 2011. He received the Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal and the National Defense Service Award – minor awards, but awards
nonetheless.
While
appearing to function normally, Alexis was plagued by mental health and anger
management issues. Arrested several
times, he apparently began suffering from paranoia, even calling police in
Rhode Island when he felt threatened by microwaves emanating from the ceiling.
He told police he was hearing voices. The police informed the Navy who took no
action, resulting in a morning of carnage at the Navy Yard.
SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
On
December 14 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, a troubled young man, 20 year old
Adam Lanza, shot and killed his mother Nancy at their home before driving to
Sandy Hook Elementary School. There he
shot and killed 20 children aged between six and seven years old, along with
six adult staff members, firing 154 rounds with a rifle. Experts say he had to stop and reload the
thirty-round magazine frequently. When he realized that police had entered the
building and seen him, Lanza shot himself in the head with a Glock 10mm hand
gun.
STATISTICS
STATISTICS
In this country, there
have been 8,957 deaths by gun since that dreadful day in December 2012
(statistics compiled by Slate ** ) and it is estimated that
there have been 168 mass shootings in this country since 2006. After all these shootings, the pattern seems set, with gun permits apparently being handed out like candy to the mentally impaired
with little or no screening.
A
public discussion ensued between the gun lobby, mainly represented by the
powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) and the various gun control groups,
chief among them the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) and now, Americans
for Responsible Solutions (ARS).
AMERICANS FOR RESPONSIBLE SOLUTIONS
AMERICANS FOR RESPONSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Americans
for Responsible Solutions was founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Arizona)
and her husband, Mark Kelly, a retired Navy Captain and NASA astronaut, as Giffords recovered from a
gunshot to the head delivered by Jared Loughner on January 8, 2011. Loughner, 23, shot and killed six people that
day in Tucson Arizona, including US District Court Judge John Roll, and 9 year old Christina Taylor-Green, and injured 14 more. Giffords and Kelly pledged to support both the 2nd
Amendment and safer communities by more encouraging elected officials to engage in a more direct communication with their
electorate.
MIRIAM CAREY
Then, yesterday, Miriam Carey drove into Washington, DC in her black Infiniti and attempted to ram
the White House gates. In the ensuing melee
and car chase, shots were fired by police at the apparently unarmed and
troubled young mother. In this hi-tech
world of ours, several bystanders shot video footage of the entire
confrontation. Piecing it all together, Carey approached the driveway leading
to the White House at speed, trying to pass security at 15th and
Pennsylvania.
When
armed officers turned and drew their weapons, she spun the Infiniti around, running
down a 23-year veteran Secret Service agent as she sped away.
Secret Service agents and Capitol police chased her to the Capitol at
speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. They
opened fire on her at Garfield Circle. There
was a collision between the Infiniti and a Capitol Police cruiser at
Constitution and Second, causing Carey to hit the barricades outside the Hart
Building. An eye witness said the car was attempting to get away when an
officer drew his weapon and fired into the car, fatally injuring the driver.
Why
did she do it? The initial incident at the White House gate does not appear to
have been an accident. Cathy Lanier, Metropolitan Police Chief, says she is
confident it was not an accident.
HEAD INJURY
A
former employer, Dr. Brian Evans, told us that Carey suffered a head injury
after falling down stairs just before discovering that she was pregnant. After
working for him for two years, he fired her after Carey displayed anger
management issues in the workplace. Family members are admitting that Carey
suffered from emotional problems, and was then hit by post-partum depression following the
birth of her daughter in August 2012.
DEPRESSION
So
here we get to the core of the mental illness spectrum. Anxiety, Depression, Post-partum,
Paranoia, Bipolar – many labels, many tags. What are we as a society doing
about any of it? There is an easy answer to that – we are doing nothing. We tend to ignore the entire mental health
issue as an embarrassment almost. It is viewed as something that should not be
discussed in polite society, and something that should never be allowed out in
the open. It is one of those touchy topics that we figuratively put in the
closet under the stairs, while we lock the door and hope that nobody ever finds
the key.
BIPOLAR CELEBRITIES
BIPOLAR CELEBRITIES
Several
celebrities have “come out” as suffering from bipolar disorder, the most recent being actress Catherine
Zeta-Jones, the beautiful wife of actor Michael Douglas. Zeta-Jones has Bipolar II, a condition which is difficult to diagnose. Frequently mistaken for depression, it is difficult to know when you have the disorder. It is possible to function at a high level with BP-II, and of all those diagnosed with depression, between 40 and 50% turn out to have either BP-I or BP-II. Other celebrities suffering from a bipolar disorder include actress Carrie Fisher, actor Mel
Gibson and politician Jesse Jackson, Jr.
COMING OUT
COMING OUT
With
all these high profile people readily admitting to needing pharmaceutical
treatment for mental illness, surely the time is right for the US Government to
shine a light in that direction. In the area of gun law reform, mental
instability leaps out at us, begging us to run deep background checks on anyone
applying for a gun license. In the immediate aftermath of any public violent act, gun law reform comes to the fore and the 2nd Amendment
debate heats up. Then the talk turns to
ammunition size and gun capacity, and before we know it, we’ve done nothing
about anything, while another incident blows up to take over the headlines.
The
time for studying and improving mental health provisions and screening is now.
It’s here. Let’s deal with it.
by MARGARET MULVIHILL
