Mental illness is real

Most of you, whether you know it or not, know somebody, or have someone in your family

Who suffers from some kind of mental illness

I know I do

No punch line here, it’s just a fact

And I know I’m the first to make a joke about some whackjob I read about in the paper

But sometimes there’s just no funny to be found

Mental illness can be devastating if left undiagnosed or untreated

We all live in countries where there is help

But you have to speak up

Get help, or if you see someone you know struggling

Try to help them

When something like the tragic shootings in Arizona happen

The rest of the world is quick to point fingers at the US

And blame the gun laws here for the problem

And although Australia has nowhere near the gun ownership numbers due to much stricter gun laws

Anyone wishing to possess or use a firearm in Australia must have a Firearms Licence and, with some exceptions, be over the age of 18. Owners must have secure storage for their firearms. For each firearm a “Genuine Reason” must be given, relating to pest control, hunting, target shooting, or collecting. Self-defense is not accepted as a reason for issuing a licence

When a (for lack of a better word) ‘crazy’ person wants to harm themselves or others

They’ll find a way to do it

Most Australian’s would know the name Martin Bryant as the gunman responsible for Australia’s deadliest massacre

OK, it may not happen often – but it does

And what about taxi driver Derrick Bird in the UK last year?

It happens everywhere

I think that access to weapons isn’t the whole problem here

But rather the amount of truly fucked up & disturbed people there are in the world

And sure, them being able to get their hands ON a weapon IS a part of the problem

But shouldn’t we being trying to treat/fix these people?

Recognise people that need help

The shooter in Arizona, Jared Loughner has been described by all who knew him as

Weird, paranoid, full of conspiracy theories, anti government

He was kicked out of school and told he could only come back after a mental evaluation that showed,

“…in the opinion of a mental health professional, his presence at the College does not present a danger to himself or others.

And then he went and bought a gun

So maybe all the help in the world can’t help some people

I understand that

I don’t have the answers

But I do believe that maybe ‘giving a shit’ about each other is a step in the right direction

Looking out for not only ourselves, but our neighbours, work colleagues

I wonder if some if these people that committed these acts had more people that ‘gave a shit’ about them

Would it have made a difference?

I guess we’ll never know

Now, I’m getting off my soapbox to go and listen to some Barbra