Navy Yard Shooting

The tragic events that took place on Monday in Washington, D.C. are becoming all too familiar in our country. The shooting has sparked debates on several issues related to the event: gun rights, violent video games, security clearance, and mental health, amongst others. I will not comment on most of these issues, but will focus on the one that is most relevant to what I do; mental health. As in all tragedies like this, we immediately want to know the motive to understand why someone would have committed such a horrific act. And once again we hear phrases like "unstable" and "mentally ill" to describe the perpetrator and explain what has happened. Two thoughts come to mind regarding this. One, stories like this and the way they are portrayed in the media further reinforce the misconception that the mentally ill are violent and dangerous. The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of individuals who are severely mentally ill are not dangerous at all. In fact, they are more likely to be the victims of violence rather than the perpetrators. Unfortunately, this misconception that the mentally ill are violent and dangerous affects the amount of help and support they receive both from individuals and society as a whole. It is part of the stigma that is attached to the mentally ill which makes it easier for their needs to be ignored by our people and institutions. The second thought that comes to mind is related and very straightforward: we need improvements in mental health services and mental health awareness, in general. Nearly half of all Americans will have a mental health issue at some point in their life, and approximately 1/4 of all American adults suffer from a mental illness at any given time. Clearly, it is not a rare few that are in need of mental health services. However, only about 20-25% of those struggling with mental health issues actually receive services. This is due both to a lack of available resources and a reluctance to seek out mental health services. Due to the stigma of mental illness, many of those who are suffering do not get the help they need and instead try to cope with it on their own. This only leads to further deterioration of their mental health and more problems down the line. If we remove the stigma of being mentally ill and receiving mental health services, while also improving and increasing the availability of services, the result will be improved mental health outcomes for all Americans. Again, the numbers show that mental illness is not an affliction that affects only a select few, but rather it is an almost certainty that either we ourselves or a loved one will struggle with a mental illness at some point. Removing the stigma and improving mental health services is something that will benefit us all.