Understanding the Need for Change
Do you believe we are facing major change or just major disorder?
It has not yet been described as such, but it would seem we are on the verge of a national reformation. We appear to be suffering conflicts with no solutions immediately on the horizon. It is often dismissed as political but we have to suspect we are dealing with more fundamental issues.
The reaction to recent mass shootings is just one indicator of a national crisis. We are looking at demographic change looming large even as a major party seems to be in the process of collapsing. Now is a time for us to do a multilevel reevaluation on many fronts.
Public Safety and Guns
At the forefront is the issue of needed changes regarding our rules about guns. That means what type of guns should be permissible for possession outside of the military and what rules there need to be related to possession in general.
With all the discussion I have not once heard a meaningful discussion regarding the second amendment. The amendment was about the maintenance of a militia in a newborn country that did not have a standing functional army. Somehow it has become transformed into something else entirely.
In broad strokes we need to address matters of public safety as they relate to gun possession and related restrictions. That means we will also have to address ideological issues as they relate to the wellbeing and the future of our country.
Personal Dysfunction in a Society
But for me as a psychologist, I see another set of issues related to what we call mental health. It is brought up regarding guns and has sets of problems of their own. As noted, we originally applied the disease model as a way to remove issues of personal functioning from the belief in demonic possession. Our emotional and cognitive functionality did not belong in the religious arena but using the medical model has serious problems in its own right.
Many of the shooters in recent massacres were victimized by family history, distorted religious zealotry and probably sexual identity confusion among many other issues. But the question of how we address public safety leads us into a complex arena. And in that regard the disease model offers little clarify. It is supposed to instruct us about the nature of the problem, what procedures to use to deal with it and what medication is indicated if any. In fact, we must separate “mental illness” from the issue of gun management. They are related but there are many other issues involved.
Designing a Helping System
Our health care system is often dysfunctional, especially when corporate profit guides response. The physical health system and the mental health systems need serious attention and redevelopment.
In the larger picture we need to go back to fundamentals and design the model of how to relate to what are currently called mental health issues. They may be biochemical, stress related, developmental, chemically induced and so forth. Then we need to deal with how to respond and what help to offer. A long overlooked reassessment would take considerable time and even then will prove difficult when it comes to public safety. The issue will always be how to make functional help available and how systems can be designed to serve the sufferer and the public.
Reexamining Fundamentals
It would seem, at this time of what I believe will be national reformation, we should be reexamining fundamentals on many fronts. And my special interest is in reforming and completely revising the use of the outdated model of mental illness. How to respond to dysfunction and distress in human life is complex and that includes our response to drug addiction and abuse. Prevention is related to availability and utilization of services. When we tell people they are “sick” it may turn them away from the guidance and help they need. We attached the D to PTSD and turned it into a disorder when it is, in fact ,a predictable stress reaction among other things. It goes beyond a reaction to the experience of war and now we can see effects on our school children because of the recent shootings. The D proves to be a barrier to help and understanding. We can throw money at these issues but it would seem best to begin by reevaluating our approaches.
How many of these issues have you experienced personally?
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