All right, I am getting real sick and tired of hearing on the news how almost every bad thing with a gun is being attributed to a person with "mental health issues". Yes, I understand that people with mental health problems are more prone to extreme behaviour, but the the news of late is making it seem as if the only people who go on shooting rampages or even murder just one person all have some disorder. Those kinds of blanket statements are what make these people not seek the help that they desperately need.
I'm about to say something that will tick off the few people that actually read this thing, but oh well. One of the big issues that annoys me is the growing number of (mostly) men shooting schools, public places, and recently the Navy yard. Most of these people are diagnosed with PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most of them are also veterans. Personally, I don't feel sorry for them. Before you flip a wig, let me explain why. They chose to go over to a foreign land, pull a trigger on a massively stupid sized gun, and blow the life out of another human being. In nearly every culture, the taking of a life kills a piece of yourself as well. This is why these men (again mostly males, though many women have PTSD from wars as well) have troubles, they took something that wasn't theirs to take. It doesn't matter to me who sanctioned it.
I find it interesting that women who are victims of violent crimes don't purchase a gun and open fire on a football team of guys, yet a former soldier will kill innocents in a cafeteria.
The point is this: Mental health is waning in this country because its the little black secret that no one wants to really talk about and thus tries to sweep under the rug. It doesn't go away, it will grow to the point in which there is no longer any ignoring it. As one who suffers with depression and self injury I can say this, no one wants to talk about or help those with mental illness until its too late and there is a body count on the nightly news.
