thanks Heather. a brutal and complex issue. appreciate you lending your voice to the part that resonates with you.

I'm amazed this hadn't occurred to me until you said it. I struggle with dystymia, anxiety and seasonal depression, yet the shooter's mental health hadn't even crossed my mind. You're right, this is a conversation we need to have.

I live in Tucson, just miles from where this tragedy took place. That is one of the first things that came to my mind: the shooters mental status. There were signs and events that pointed to the fact that he needed help. Either the attempts failed or no one reached out. It is even more sad when events like this could have been avoided, had someone just reached out.

Great blog post about this very thing at Jezebel:
"It's hard to say what, if anything, would have helped Loughner, and Marcotte doesn't pretend to have all the answers. But she does point out that although his school demanded he seek therapy, he didn't do so — possibly because finding and paying for therapy in America is still extremely hard. Writes Marcotte, "If a community college student with poor access to health care needs contraception, she knows who to call: Planned Parenthood. We need something like that for people who find themselves in need of mental health services." A Planned Parenthood of mental health care would help the many, many people in this country who are suffering from mental illness and don't know where to turn. Most of these people are not and will never become violent, and getting them the therapy they need wouldn't reduce the national murder rate very much. But it would reduce the number of sick people who can't find help — and that, in itself, is a worthy goal."

Read more: http://jezebel.com/5729833/better-mental-health-ca...

Did you see this week's episode of Gray's Anatomy? It rang eerily close to this story and explored your sentiment.

I agree.

What is the next step after that? After you have told them that, in my case, you are worried about their child? And you were met with anger and denial?

This has struck a painful chord with me.

The 12 YO son of an old friend of mine (and BFF to my son) seems to me to be hurtling down this path of violence, despair, sadness. It has become so frightening to me that I have cut off ties with them. Her refusal to see the situation, to do anything about it...I feel completely helpless. DSS has been called by another friend of mine. Whether anything has come of that is unknown to us.

What can be done? THIS is why events like Arizona occur. Parents who refuse to SEE, and children who repeatedly slip through the cracks of teachers and social services.

So, so sad. So disheartening.

Leahbee a lot of universities have mental health facilities within their system. I do believe it's the stigma attached to it including fear of medication, fear of impact of their grades/admissions (like in this case they said mental therapy it up or you won't be allowed to come back). And in this case note that they were proactive in telling them get help or you can't come--which could have avoided a whole V-Tech incident.

Hearing about this event saddened me beyond measure. If better access to mental health care will save any life (one which would otherwise be lived in misery, one which would otherwise be taken by suicide, those which would otherwise be taken by homicide), then we must invest in and ensure access to mental health care. Our reluctance to talk about mental illness in this country is truly tragic.

Gabrielle Giffords, the other victims of the attack, the city of Tucson, and their loved ones are in my prayers.

Refreshing and poignant question! Thank you for that...I feel like you're getting to the heart of the real issue.

I don't think there's any medical treatment for being a zealot. Wasn't this motivated by religion? That's what I read.
This takes me back to Trolley Square in our own lovely Deseret. Yeah, I remember back then there were a bunch of stories in the News that were written to make me feel sorry for Sulejman Talović, that pathetic excuse for a human being. I remember when his father, in the painful aftermath, had the audacity to tell a reporter that his son was "forgiven" in the eyes of God.
I'm damn near out of sympathy and understanding. And I'm tired of kids at school being blamed or the mental health industry or whoever.
Some people are just shits.
And these Westboro shitheads make Boyd K. Packer seem like a reasonable guy.
All I'm saying.

How can you say 'for most people who suffer from a mental illness, the answer to each and every one of them is almost always NO?'

Do you know most people with mental illness?

Budgets have been cut for mental health in Arizona. Here is an interesting, well put summary of mental health in AZ: http://desertbeacon.blogspot.com/2011/01/maintaini.... It's a subject of great interest in Jan Brewer's priority list (she has a son in a state hospital with mental health issues). Mental health budgets in Maricopa County alone (Phoenix) have been slashed appr $60 million in the last 2 years. See article: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/arti....

It saddens me so much. I had a close friend in Phx who is now serving time in prison because he stabbed/killed an acquaintance (stating that demons told him to do it). The reason I believe this is because a couple years prior to this incident, he used to tell me he heard voices (demons and angels fighting in his head) and the demons told him to do bad things. He tried to get help from the state. He WANTED help but, he didn't have the $$ and the state didn't have the $$ or resources to help him and they just turned him away. It's so sad that so many people are left out on the streets. Now he is in the prison system and I just wonder what could have been done to prevent it.

Thanks for raising the issue in relation to mental health. Arizona really needs mental health funding and help!

A friend of mine had the horrific task of agreeing to turn off the life-support for her husband yesterday.

Her husband who turned 34 last week.

Her husband who hung himself the following day.

He leaves a wife not yet 30, two small small children and myriad family and friends shaking their heads with hearts so full of pain it seems impossible.

Those questions could also be asked here, in Australia and sadly the same response, NO, would be the main response.

Horrendous and in our societies just so very unacceptable.

You posted a link to this on Twitter, and at first, I was hesitant to see what you had to say. I honestly haven't been to your blog in a while, because I grew tired of reading your partisan banter. I paused for a moment today, and followed the link hoping that this is what you would have to say about Arizona.

I do not believe it is for anyone to say who or what influenced this young man, but rather that we should ask ourselves how his mental illness went untreated. A neighbor of his was interviewed, and said she had no idea he had such mental problems until she Googled his name after the tragedy. She couldn't understand how his strange behavior went unnoticed. Unfortunately, I feel that mental health issues are stigmatized, and still very much hidden in our society.

Thank you for bringing attention to the real issue at hand. Let us hope that as a result of this horrible tragedy, our nation can come together regardless of political affiliation, and turn off our TVs, and put down our papers, and start paying attention.

Thank you Heather, for bringing attention to this topic and using your vast platform to spread the message. The sad truth is that even people with decent health insurance may not have mental/emotional coverage or be covered to see the provider that best meets their needs.

My son exhibited signs of depression by the age of six years old. Do you know how many child psychiatrists exist and how many accept insurance? Too damn few, that's how many. I count myself as one of the lucky families that could afford to pay out of pocket to access the resources we needed but then I think... look at the train wreck that Britney Spears made of her life a couple years ago. If someone with practically unlimited resources could not/would not get help, that should send a message about how significant the need is.

Sadly, even the healthcare reform act fails to address this issue and I fear that, given the new requirements mandated by legislation, insurers will reduce mental health coverage over time. I hope I am wrong.