HI recently opened up a new Facebook page. Decided to get some ■■■■ done. Here’s what I posted earlier this morning. I am hoping enough people share my posts to create some awareness and momentum.
I would like to discuss the an issue of mental health, specifically two diagnosis’s, schizophrenia and schizo-effective disorder.
In the wake of the recent school shooting tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, there has been a lot of talk regarding mental health issues on various media outlets. In particular, during the following CNN Town Hall meeting with students from the high school and politicians, the local sheriff, and an NRA representative, the NRA representative used the blanket term “crazy” several times.
Without going directly into any political or partisan stance on the issue of gun control, I feel that certain terms being tossed around need to be clarified and discussed in a factual manner.
First of all, there needs to be a distinction made regarding certain concepts being used to describe the types of people who many feel need to be placed under greater restriction because of popular, but misguided notions about who it is who are actually committing crimes of violence with guns in particular.
It appears that people are confusing the words psychotic with psychopath.
Psychosis is a term used to describe a specific symptom of certain diagnosis’s. It is a disconnect between that which is real and that which is not real, an inability to separate hallucinations and delusions from reality.
Numerous, fastidiously-conducted research studies indicate that people with schizophrenia, and undergoing treatment, pose no greater danger to public welfare than anyone else in the general population.
People with untreated schizophrenic illness do, however, have an increased tendency toward violent behavior. Frequently, the initial psychotic episode, indicating the onset of schizophrenia, causes the patient to act out in bizarre and violent ways.
The truth is, most people struggling with the torment of schizophrenia don’t commit violent crime or aggressive acts against others. Studies show that people with drug and alcohol addictions, or even recreational users, are two times more likely to participate in acts of violence and crime than a typical person diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The term psychopath is another word used to describe severe cases of anti-social personalty disorder, which is characterized by the following:
Disregard for society’s laws
Violation of the physical or emotional rights of others
Lack of stability in job and home life
Irritability and aggressiveness
Lack of remorse
Consistent irresponsibility
Recklessness, impulsivity
Deceitfulness
A childhood diagnosis (or symptoms consistent with) conduct disorder
The symptoms of antisocial personality disorder can vary in severity. The more egregious, harmful, or dangerous behavior patterns are referred to as sociopathic or psychopathic. There has been much debate as to the distinction between these descriptions. Sociopathy is chiefly characterized as something severely wrong with one’s conscience; psychopathy is characterized as a complete lack of conscience regarding others. Some professionals describe people with this constellation of symptoms as “stone cold” to the rights of others. Complications of this disorder include imprisonment, drug abuse, and alcoholism.
United States prisons are known to host a high percentage of psychopaths and sociopaths.
As much as 80 percent of male prison inmates were shown to exhibit signs and symptoms of antisocial personality disorder. As much as 65 percent of imprisoned women are sociopaths.
