I am both deeply heartbroken and disgusted by the events that took place in Orlando this past weekend. On Saturday, June 11 two despicable acts were committed by two very mentally ill people.
Christina Grimmie, a singer who came in third on NBC’s "The Voice," performed what would be her last performance at The Plaza Live, Friday evening. After the show, she was signing autographs and selling merchandise when a 27-year-old man by the name of Kevin Loibl approached Christina Grimmie and shot the singer. He was immediately tackled to the ground by Christina Grimmie’s older brother, Marcus Grimmie. Loibl then killed himself. Authorities are still trying to figure out how Loibl entered the venue with two handguns, two additional loaded magazines and a large hunting knife.
Merely 24 hours later, shots were fired at gay nightclub, Pulse. The 29-year-old gunman, Omar Mateen carried an assault rifle and a pistol into the club at around 2 a.m. Sunday. He then proceeded to carry out the most deadly shooting in American history, killing 50 people and injuring 53. Before the attack, Mateen called 911 and pledged allegiance to ISIS. The standoff inside the club lasted over three hours, during which time hostages were desperately contacting their loved ones, as well as police.
These attacks undoubtably speak to the incredible amount of hate that exists in our world. But they also speak to another problem our society is facing, a broken mental health system. Currently there is no way for family members to express concern and receive help for a loved one whom they believe may be a danger to society in the future.
In the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, for example, Adam Lanza of Newtown, Connecticut fatally shot his mother before entering a local elementary school and brutally murdering 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7, along with six faculty members. Shortly after this tragedy, information about Lanza’s early life was released, which included stories of extreme anxiety, an obsession with mass shootings, complete isolation and profound anorexia. Lanza was evaluated by the New Haven-based Yale Child Study Center at the age of 14 and they were the only provider to ever fully grasp the gravity of his poor mental state. According to authorities, Lanza’s mother tried to get him help over the years but was unsuccessful, due to the lack of resources.
Shortly after this information came out, a writer named Liza Long published an article titled “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother: A Mom’s Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America” in which she explained her struggle of raising a very mentally ill child who is often violent and unpredictable.
“When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. ‘If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,’ he said. ‘That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges.'" - Liza Long
Unfortunately, because there is a disappointing lack of resources and legislation surrounding these extreme forms of mental illness, children and young adults affected by these diseases (as well as their loved ones), are forced to suffer with minimal help. Families have no choice but to wait and see if their loved one will commit a terrible crime as a result of their instability.
“It seems like the United States is using prison as the solution of choice for mentally ill people. According to Human Rights Watch, the number of mentally ill inmates in U.S. prisons quadrupled from 2000 to 2006, and it continues to rise — in fact, the rate of inmate mental illness is five times greater (56 percent) than in the non-incarcerated population.” - Liza Long
When I read reports of the Orlando nightclub shooting that took place this weekend, I immediately thought that it paralleled the Sandy Hook shooting. Mateen’s ex-wife explained in an interview that she thought Mateen was “undiagnosed bipolar” and that he was abusive towards her, forbidding her to have contact with her family and becoming physically violent with her quite often. Furthermore, the FBI interviewed Mateen in 2013 and 2014 after he expressed sympathy towards a suicide bomber. He was not found to be a threat. However, I believe these are clear signs of severe mental illness.
As a country, we need to make some drastic changes to our mental health system in order to prevent these types of tragic occurrences. Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) released a report in which they offer several suggestions to improve the mental health system. They state that universal screening for behavioral health and developmental impairments should be given by primary care providers, training and information about mental health problems should be available for those affected and support for and engagement with parents and families should be an integral part of treatment for a child. These claims could immensely help mitigate violence and suffering associated with severe mental illness.
So let’s end the stigma of mental illness. Let’s recognize that ignoring those who suffer from severe mental illness is equivalent to ignoring those diagnosed with cancer. Let’s create a system that will encourage early intervention, offer resources and provide support. Let’s put an end to mass shootings.
