Friday, April 20, 2007

How to stop the Killings

Everyone wants to know how do we stop the killings. They try to get inside the heads of these kids who go and shoot up school campus'.

Doesn't it all begin at home. Doesn't it all start with open communication and parents who care, support and who are there for their children? Children should not be afraid to go to their parents if things are going wrong. Children should not be afraid to go to any adult if things are going wrong in their life.

Schools should not allow students to bully other students. If they know it is happening and allow it to continue - then the school becomes at fault for anything that may happen.

If the school notices a student may be depressed or has other mental health issues, they should not be afraid to go to the parents and tell them what they have observed and parents should not get defensive that their child could in no way have a problem. All children have problems and they all handle them differently.
A number of mental health issues are biological in nature but they still need to be treated. Parents need to stop being afraid of the stigma that was once attached to mental health issues and if their kids need it, get them help. The same with the kids.

If everyone pulls together for the good of the students, doesn't it only stand to reason, that there would be less violence on school campuses. If everyone treated the next person with respect, doesn't it stand to reason there would be less violence. If everyone tried to help out the next person, doesn't it stand to reason there would be less violence.

There is a pattern here - if you can't help the person out, the next person might be able to, don't turn your back on someone because you don't have the answer, find someone who can help, that might be the only way that you can help.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

VT Tech Killings

The needless killings this week at VT could have been prevented if everything that everyone tried to do over the past couple of years would have worked.
People tried to get this guy help and it always fell through or he didn't follow through.
I am not backing him up in any way but he was obviously very distribed and needed psych help which he refused to get on his own.
He either knew how to play the system when they put him in the hospital or he just plainly fooled the doctors. In either case, the let him out when they should have kept him in. Of course, he didn't want to be in. For a lot of people being kept in a locked facility carries a stigma with it. One they don't want attached with their name. They don't want people to know they have mental health issues.
If he would have been forced to stay in the hospital, he would never have been able to purchase the guns but I'm sure he would have found a different way to get them.
If he would have listened to his teacher and went for help, someone would have realized how bad off he was and he would have gotten the help he needed.
This is one case where people tried and it did not work. It doesn't mean they didn't try hard enough - their hands were tied. You can't force someone to get help unless they are a danger to themselves or someone else and if you know how to play the system, you can convince the doctors in any facility you are ready to go home.

Did his parents know that he was as bad off as he was? That is one thing we haven't heard yet. If they did, did they encourage their son to get help or to hid his problems so it would not relfect bad on the family (like so many others do). Did they add to him learning to hide and not seek help? I'm not blaming the parents, it's the way they were raised, it is all they know.

We, as a country, have to stop making such a being deal out of people seeking psych help. It actually shows a sign of courage and not weakness like so many believe.
There are many reasons why people need help and no matter what the reason is, no one should be discouraged from seeking help.
We also can't blame others for our problems, as this person has done. We are each responsible for our own actions and our own choices.
Please make your choices wisely and consider your actions and how they will effect the lives of others.

My sympathies to all of those who lost loved ones at VT and I pray that you come out of this a stronger person because of this senseless tragedy.