The mental illness debate

[touched]

"Walk softly and carry statistics", A comment I overheard from a doctor while caring for my mother this month in the hospital.

What I think we all would do well to remember is that, "there are real people behind the numbers." A quote I read in The Commons today. I have posted the link below:

http://www.commonsnews.org/site/site05/story....
Where are our principles?

As terrible events are playing out in a neighboring state, we must ask if we can afford not to take care of people who need our help

[Mike Mulligan]

It is the sign of our times, the Democratic solution to guns and the mentally ill. The democrat's aims are to create regulations to prevent the mentally ill from owning/purchasing gud. It is not we learned our lesson, is we have to have high quality care for anyone in our society who has a mental illness independent of their ability to pay for such care or their ability to want to be better.

[touched]

I would like to give your sign back, but sadly that's a union job (joke).

I suppose the plan is to use a parking lot diagnosis? My neighbor says I’m nuts so I can’t own a gun?

[touched]

Just in case you are a statistics kind of guy:

Vermont spent just $198 per capita on mental health agency services in 2006

Connecticut spent just $170 per capita on mental health agency services in 2006

http://www.nami.org/ContentManagement/Content...

[touched]

2010 per capita spending

Connecticut $189.34

Vermont $239.84

Surprising isn't it?

[Mike Mulligan]

Vermont is a tiny population state...the scale of Conn's population of 3.5 million while Vermont's is 626,000...

It is not surprising...

[flat lander]

Mike, I thought we agreed not to bring up my down fall. Until I saw my doctor I thought that I was perfect until may pointed out that I am, being from Mass. you can take it from there. Gutter go!

[touched]

Mike Mulligan wrote:

Vermont is a tiny population state...the scale of Conn's population of 3.5 million while Vermont's is 626,000...
It is not surprising...

That would be a valid observation Mike except the numbers are per capita; per capita can take the place of saying "per person". In 2010 the three wealthiest states based on median income were: 1. New Hampshire, 2. New Jersey, and 3.Connecticut.

[Mike Mulligan]

A large organization is more efficient...

[touched]

Mike Mulligan wrote:

A large organization is more efficient...

Then why does Vermont have 334 small school districts instead of fewer larger ones? In 2011, 126,275 children lived in Vermont. Vermont ranks 5th among states in per pupil expenditures. Our annual expenditure per prisoner is $30,012, while our annual expenditure per public school pupil $12,805.

Percent of 16- to 19-year-olds not enrolled in school who are not high
school graduates 4.5%....
http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-researc...

[touched]

13,959 is what CT spends per pupil.

[touched]

What does this all mean in terms of identifying and supporting youth with mental illness? How many of those youth eventually end up in the penal system? Would it be wiser to spend more on early intervention instead of wasting energy playing politics with gun laws?

[touched]

289,071 children live in New Hampshire. Annual expenditure per public school pupil $10,396 and NH has 280 school districts.

Annual expenditure per prisoner $27,806

http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-researc...

[touched]

Four million children and adolescents in this country suffer from a serious mental disorder that causes significant functional impairments at home, at school and with peers. Of children ages 9 to 17, 21 percent have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder that causes at least minimal impairment.
Half of all lifetime cases of mental disorders begin by age 14. Despite effective treatments, there are long delays, sometimes decades, between the first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment. An untreated mental disorder can lead to a more severe, more difficult to treat illness and to the development of co-occurring mental illnesses.3
In any given year, only 20 percent of children with mental disorders are identified and receive mental health services.

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm...

[touched]

Youth with unidentified and untreated mental disorders also tragically end up in jails and prisons. According to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health—the largest ever undertaken—an alarming 65 percent of boys and 75 percent of girls in juvenile detention have at least one mental illness. We are incarcerating youth living with mental illness, some as young as eight years old, rather than identifying their conditions early and intervening with appropriate treatment.

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm...

[touched]

I don't think the national debate should be about guns....instead it should be about increasing early identification and treatment of youth suffering with mental illness!

[Mike Mulligan]

No doubt our society is saturated with guns and violence...most of this is anti government and USA, in nature...domestic terrorism...we should collect all our weapons except for hunting. And it should be a high hurdle to get a hunting weapon.

[Mike Mulligan]

No doubt our society is saturated with guns and violence...most of this is anti government and USA in nature...domestic terrorism. Our government should collect all our weapons except for hunting. And it should be a high hurdle to get a hunting weapon.

[Mike Mulligan]

And I will make the case most of our mental illness is preventable...it is created by our culture. Even the genetically damaged or brain damaged youngsters is behaviorally damaged from our culture.

[Its CIA Killed MLK Day]

no doubt our forum is saturated with the brain damaged mikey

Time Warner Bans Gun Ads, Continues to Produce Movies Full of Gun Violence
Establishment attempts to make firearms ownership taboo
http://www.infowars.com/time-warner-bans-gun-...

Psychiatrists given ‘Judge Dredd’ authority to strip citizens of their constitutional rights
Era of thought crimes now here
http://www.infowars.com/era-of-thought-crimes...

Global Treaty Signed to Stop Deadly Mercury While FDA Allows it Unchecked In Your Food
http://www.infowars.com/global-treaty-signed-...

Rapper Has Set Cut Short At Inaugural Event Following Anti-Obama Rant
'Yes We Can'… kick you off stage
http://www.infowars.com/rapper-has-set-cut-sh...
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The New McCarthyism: Depriving Constitutional Rights Based on Mere Suspicion
http://davekopel.org/2A/IB/New-McCarthyism.pd...
^this is from 2005 and it points out the fact that instant background checks have been the law for years with gun retailers but the BS artist politicos of the Left now act like we don't have that and we need to 'Close the Loophole'
Obama has been the greatest gun salesman of All Time. If instead of demonizing the gun (which Never killed Anyone) and gun owners Obama had instead Properly focused on the problems with mental health and SSRI* psycotropic drugs then we wouldn't be seeing such huge gun sales as we are.

Professor John Lott who authored "More Guns Less Crime" was on Jim Cunningham's show last night pointing out facts like how the crime rate for Conceal-Carry permit holders is Less than that of police officers. And, States that have had the Biggest increases in gun ownership have had the biggest drops in their crime rates.
In England burglaries are More prevalent than here and burglars there are MUCH more likely to enter a home even knowing people may be inside- that's cuz unlike US crooks theirs know that the owner is not going to be armed and shoot them!
///

What a difference 50 years makes

MLK said "I Have a Dream"
Obama says "I Have a Drone'
http://thecontributor.com/sites/default/files...