Tucson Tragedy and a Crisis of Spirit

Grey Matters - Mental Health in the Old Pueblo

Tucson Tragedy and a Crisis of Spirit

by Susan Moreno on Jan. 09, 2011, under brain disorders, depression, General Mental Health, Health, health care reform, mental illness, Politics, stigma

I don’t know how to talk about what happened here in Tucson yesterday without making someone mad, but I’m going to try.

As a mental health advocate and person who is currently educating high school kids about depression and suicide prevention my initial thoughts (after my shock and sadness) about the gunman was that he must be mentally ill, and as most of you know I am passionate about people receiving proper care for mental illness and reducing the stigma surrounding these issues. So, initially I was going to write this blog about just that, the inequalities of the treatment of people with mental illness and the shortcomings of the system, but as the weekend progressed I have been struck more by the calls for compassion and the need to temper the on-going bitterness and hate filled rhetoric that seems to be all too prevalent in our society.

Some blame it on the media, some blame it on the Internet and some blame it on dysfunctional family environments. All I know is that I don’t think this is the time nor place to start placing blame and focusing anger on anyone or any one entity. If anything, now is the time for us to focus on restoring Peace, Love and Harmony to society.

Yes, some will think I’m an idealist with no grasp of reality, but it is reality that motivates me to wish and pray for more compassion and tolerance in our world. There is darkness, but just the light of one small match can illuminate a room. I think we all have the potential, no the responsibility as humans to be a positive force. I don’t know of any situation where more violence and hate can solve a problem.

Hopefully this senseless tragedy that happened in my home town yesterday will be a catalyst to help us to find our way back to the loving and kind humans were are meant to be. As mental health advocates teach in Crisis Intervention Training, rather than escalating the situation, let’s try and de-escalate and bring reason and calmness to the situation.

Congresswoman Giffords has the skill to do just that. I witnessed her ability to reason and respectfully disagree with irate, inflamed constituents at town hall meetings over the last year. Gabe Zimmerman, her now deceased aid, was a master at conveying how important the well being of our community was to him. When Congresswom Giffords was unable to attend some of the mental health community events she was invited to, Gabe provided the same kind of support and understanding that she would have.

In memory of Gabe and the others that died yesterday and out of respect for Congresswoman Giffords, I think it could be a new day for our country if we focus on the healing rather than the negativity.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 9th, 2011 at 4:09 pm and is filed under brain disorders, depression, General Mental Health, Health, health care reform, mental illness, Politics, stigma. Tags for this post: Congresswoman Giffords, Tragedy in Tucson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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http://www.flameoffire2007.org Rev. Shannon Pettus

This tragic event could be just the thing to add fuel to the fires that rage to seperate religious groups, politicals lines, and well, just about anything. May we take a different stand and all join together to love, uplift, support, and encourage each other during this time! And, may it continue past the days and weeks to come!

Ernie McCray

In that spirit I’d like to share “Christina Taylor Green on My Mind” http://obrag.org/?p=30437

greymatters

That’s beautiful, Ernie. thanks for posting

greymatters

Thank you…..I couldn’t agree more.
Beth

Someone is to blame–the shooter.

sam

yes, the bottom line is the shooter……….but how did he fall through the cracks? It seems like there were so many red flags…inadequate mental health system, failure of Pima College to report concerns, parents who were in denial, friends that knew he was “on the edge,” inflamatory political rhetoric……the young man that shot and killed 6 people and wounded 12 others seems to be the one to blame, but can we use this as a catalyst to start a conversation about how to help our people suffering from delusions and obviously warped sense of reality? Can we use this as a catalyst to tone down the negative political discourse? Can we use this to look inward and remember that we are all connected and share one planet?

http://www.americanjustice.org American Justice Dot Org

Your sheriff: Dupnik the Sputnik, the dude is from outer space. To take advantage of this situation to push his political agenda is absolutely sickening.

jj

Sheriff Dupnik is right! Our gun laws are too lax which is why the shooter with a glaring hx of mental instability was able to walk in and purchase a gun in a matter of minutes! Had a thorough background check been done which I believe used to take about 3 days, he would not have been able to purchase that gun!

Richard

Your Stupid Dufus Sheriff is to blame! The warning signs have been in place for 4 years and Dipstick Dupnik ignores it. AND now he is blaming Rush and Sarah Palin!!!!
donna

So, as I understand it, as it has been stated on the news, everytime anyone sees the mother of the shooter in the grocery store she has a case of beer? And nobody ever had cause for concern calling them recluses? Hmm wake up Tucson.
sam

I think it’s important not to place blame, including on the parents. I can’t imagine the horror they are experiencing right now. Is anyone helping them?

jj

You are very compassionate Sam. I just read about the parents who are hurting very badly….fighting back tears on a daily basis….. are afraid to even go out to their mailbox for mail. There is apparently only one neighbor who has been helping them mostly because they have kept to themselves over the years while living in that neighborhood…They need prayers just like everyone else….

susani

JJ, I’m with you and Sam. Imagine knowing it was your child that did something so awful… I just can’t fathom it. So many victims. I don’t blame inflammatory rhetoric, or divisive political environments… Crazies are out there and some end up making themselves known. It’s how we manage ourselves, our behaviour, our hearts, our compassion that makes the difference, which, inevitably, provides solace.

winston120

I am a U of A grad (Ph.D.) and lived in Tucson for 5 years and my parents lived there for many years before they passed away. I live in San Francisco but I regard Tucson as my home also.

I am appalled by people across the USA that believe this psycho that committed this crime is a byproduct of the Tucson community. This man is an aberration within Tucson.

The young girl that died is Tucson.

Speedy revovery to Gabby and god bless the old pueblo.

sam

Thank you Winston…….as a 25 year resident of Tucson I know the community to be a compassionate one. We are Tucson, we’re not the Arizona legislature. I heard once that the average Tucsonan gives more to charity than just about any other city in the country.

greymatters

Unfortunately, this horrible tragedy could have happened in any community. Instead of placing blame, lets try and work together to stop this from ever happening again.
greymatters

Here’s an interesting fact about our youth and how many of them actually receive mental health treatment when needed:
A significant percentage of youth with severe mental disorders do not receive mental health care, according to a new survey. Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the survey found about 36 percent of youth with any lifetime mental disorder received services. Only half of these youth who were severely impaired by their mental disorder received professional mental health treatment. The majority of the children who did receive services had fewer than six visits with a provider over their lifetime. (National Institute of Mental Health, 1/04/11)
Joan

It’s amazing that people are turning away from what this guy wrote on his YouTube videos, about his displeasure that people in his district were “illiterate in English.” And so, while reading Hitler, he shoots his bilingual, Jewish representative! How can that be a big surprise?
I’m also in the San Francisco area, and as a regular visitor to Tucson on business, I know that you all are hurting. Perhaps you can secede from the “republic”, or petition to become part of California. All I know is this: the hate rhetoric and anti-immigrant venom from Phoenix entered this young man’s brain and festered. You need to save your wonderful city from the toxic load in your legislature.
We’re praying for Gabby and the rest of the victims. Bless you all.
Phil

Seems to me that your sheriff is complicit in this carnage. First he calls the shooter unbalanced, chalk up one for the defence attorney. Perhaps his should reveal his prior knowledge of the shooters mental issues, 5 or 6 run-in with his sheriffs yet no arrest by his department. Could it be that he knows the shooters mother? Any special treatment here? Why didn’t he do his job and have one or two policemen or women on the scene? Perhaps he should resign, he certainly isn’t on top of the investigation while he’s appearing on all these tv shows. Pathetic!
Mike

The challenge that the people of Tucson are experiencing in digesting the reality of this tragedy in their town is truly being marginalized by one that the community should be able to turn to for guidance, compassion and confidence that their community is a safe place to live, raise children and find prosperity. In view of the Pima County Sheriff Dopnik’s daily political diatribe, it appears that service to his community is playing 2nd fiddle to the crisis at hand. Be it either a self fulfilling political campaign presentation for future aspirations or more plausibly – the diversion of his professional culpability via either ignoring or over-looking multiple instances of reportable contact with this individual (aka dereliction of duty), or simply missing the signs that a community service professional would typically find to be flags of potential problems.
The fundamental evaluation that hopefully will arise for the citizens of Pima County and jurisdictions across the nation is ”fitness for service“, as opposed to “popularity at the polls” be the determinant in being adorned with the “To Protect and to Serve” law enforcement mantra. The victims of this tragedy and citizens of Pima County, AZ deserve no less than the confidence that their community safety will not be marginalized by a disconnect between citizens and paid public servants in the name of political aspirations and affiliations. Bottom line is political aspirations and partisan posturing has no logical place in a competent law enforcement officer’s job description.
keith

Your sheriff is a disgrace to your city. He is looking for scapegoats because he failed in his duties. Do your job SHERIFF quit being a political activist.
keith

The far left will take advantage of ANY crisis to keep control of their extreme agendas. Sickening
sam

Mental Illness and proper, timely treatment for our mentally ill citizens should not be a far left agenda, but a genuine concern for a compassionate society. I consider it a moral issue not a political issue.

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