The Connecticut Shooting

A friend shared an article on Facebook...

I am Adam Lanza's Mother

I was touched by the humanity of the piece...

I wrote a response to my friend... 

That's a really brave and humanizing piece. The conversation at lots of dinner tables tends to skip over a difficult reality: these violent acts aren't committed by monsters, they are committed by very troubled people, with families. I'm not a mental health professional, just a person who has seen the impact of mental illness and seen lives saved by health/social/school/police resources. Saying this guy was "just a monster" is just another way of saying, "i'm too scared or pissed or busy to look this problem in the eyes." It's a complex and challenging human problem so castigating folks and their families as "simply monsters" is a national coping mechanism, not a method of addressing a national health issue. We have folks among us with needs and issues that don't conform to our social norms, who require more highly skilled and capable influences like doctors, mental healthcare providers, social workers, counselors, teachers, public safety officers, and cops. It's all part of a spectrum of approaches to managing the impact of mental health on communities and families who CAN NOT GO IT ALONE. This mom had help, places to go, thanks to dedicated professionals but also a public commitment to investment in resources; hospitals, health care, doctors, schools with the capacity to help, and if all these elements aren't able to manage the destructive effects of mental illness, police officers with the writ and training to incapacitate a troubled person, with lethal force if behaviors threaten the lives of others. It's this full spectrum, not quick judgement, that helps prevent these tragedies. Remember, they are occurring EVERY DAY, just on a smaller scale, below the national radar. Only occasionally do they pierce through the Nightly Noise and offer the chance to really think. But its hard and people want easy answers, so i doubt most folks will rise to the occasion as you have. PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG (I love being wrong)