Reply to Thread

Should Michael and millions like him be jailed because they might, one day, end up doing what Adam Lanza did?

In the wake of the horrible mass murder of children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, Liza Long, the mother of a mentally ill son, has penned a blog post re-titled 'I am Adam Lanza's Mother'.

The heart-wrenching post about her daily struggle in bringing up her own son has opened a raging debate about care for the mentally challenged and if it is fair to draw up a link between violence and the mentally ill.

The boy, named Michael (name changed by her to protect her son's identity), is frequently out of control and has threatened to kill himself, his mother and his siblings multiple times.She obviously loves her son, but in the essay says she no longer knows how to handle him and cope with his illness.

She goes on to say: "I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza's mother. I am Dylan Klebold's and Eric Harris's mother. I am James Holmes's mother. I am Jared Loughner's mother. I am Seung-Hui Cho's mother. And these boys - and their mothers - need help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it's easy to talk about guns. But it's time to talk about mental illness."

"When I asked my son's social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. "If he's back in the system, they'll create a paper trail," he said. "That's the only way you're ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you've got charges."

"No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom.

http://www.emirates247.com/i-am-adam-lanza-s-mother-my-son-is-mentally-ill-i-love-him-but-he-terrifies-me-2012-12-18-1.487689
@Woo: And what if a gun toting Teacher is mentally unwell as well...what then?