Thank you for sharing this, Joni. So many people automatically assume that anyone with a severe mental illness is "dangerous" and shun those with those diagnoses (which is unhelpful, to say the least). Thank you for shedding light on a complicated topic.
I've had a tax client whose story was so tragic, his wife and son ran away, during one of his schiz episodes. He 'appeared to be' very medicated while I met with him, he was trying to do it right. he was so sad that he didnt know where his teen son was, he feared for his son in the gangs. He worked as a home healthcare aide for the elderly... minimum wage, 2hrs on the bus, for a 4hr shift at $10 an hour. He had about 10 addresses that year... was able to rent but either couldnt pay or... drama. He was So Sad. there is no rope to hold on to for these people.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, Joseen. Yes, these situations can be so sad and there are so many opportunities to fall through the cracks.
Thanks for the article, in some ways these kinds of explanations call for prevention or structures that could reduce such crimes. Some of the studies you cite say the likelihood a person engages in violences is 3 times as much, four times as much, or twice as much than someone who does not fit those criteria. In terms of prevention these numbers may point to action. However, as you point out the overwhelming majority of people are not violente... so something being 2x can turn a 0.0001% into a 0.0002% which is "twice as much" but hardly enough to warrant action.
It is also very difficult to envision a system that could check whether people have taken their meds or not.
Thank you for sharing this, Joni. So many people automatically assume that anyone with a severe mental illness is "dangerous" and shun those with those diagnoses (which is unhelpful, to say the least). Thank you for shedding light on a complicated topic.
I've had a tax client whose story was so tragic, his wife and son ran away, during one of his schiz episodes. He 'appeared to be' very medicated while I met with him, he was trying to do it right. he was so sad that he didnt know where his teen son was, he feared for his son in the gangs. He worked as a home healthcare aide for the elderly... minimum wage, 2hrs on the bus, for a 4hr shift at $10 an hour. He had about 10 addresses that year... was able to rent but either couldnt pay or... drama. He was So Sad. there is no rope to hold on to for these people.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, Joseen. Yes, these situations can be so sad and there are so many opportunities to fall through the cracks.
Thanks for the article, in some ways these kinds of explanations call for prevention or structures that could reduce such crimes. Some of the studies you cite say the likelihood a person engages in violences is 3 times as much, four times as much, or twice as much than someone who does not fit those criteria. In terms of prevention these numbers may point to action. However, as you point out the overwhelming majority of people are not violente... so something being 2x can turn a 0.0001% into a 0.0002% which is "twice as much" but hardly enough to warrant action.
It is also very difficult to envision a system that could check whether people have taken their meds or not.