With permission, a portion of this post has been copied from my niece’s Facebook post on 10/06/15. Thanks,  Patricia!

The shooting in Roseburg, Oregon, have caused the debates to begin yet again.

• Was the shooter mentally ill?
• If he was, how could he have gotten a gun?
• Shouldn’t someone have known?
• Shouldn’t someone have done something?

In the Roseburg shootings, it’s not just the shooter who’s being examined for mental illness. His mother is in the media’s focus.

There are too many preconceived and incorrect beliefs about mental illness. And many of those distortions are perpetuated by the media in their efforts to gain viewers to improve their ratings.

Seldom is there effective and sustained dialog past those attention-grabbing headlines. And even less seldom is there a true effort to understand mental illness from those who suffer.

Patricia (furthest left) suffers from schizoaffective disorder, a mental illness that combines schizophrenia and mood disorders. Her strength and grace amaze me as does her eloquence in conveying her thoughts and experiences.

Patricia wrote the following shortly after the latest school shooting in Roseburg, Oregon.

She also posted an excellent (funny and irreverent yet honest) video by John Oliver discussing America’s Treatment of Mental Health.

I’m really touchy about when there are mass shootings. For the record, I know that my distress over the topic is NOTHING like those who were actually involved. I feel great sadness for them. But, on my end, I feel like shit over how much the focus is put on mental illness. Yes, there are mentally ill people who commit mass shootings. What people don’t realize, is that these illnesses are not rare. The most severe illness, schizophrenia, effects 1 in 100 people. One in 100 people do no go on shooting sprees. It’s hard when you are lumped into what people think is a small group – and a group that is dangerous to society. Or a group that is made fun of. That people joke about. Or a group where even doctors don’t take your illness seriously. I honestly jump around from General Practitioner to General Practitioner because it is obvious they don’t take my illness seriously. I have even been turned down for treatment by a physician because she refuses to treat people with “severe mental illness.” And I was going because of my thyroid. I finally found a doctor that acknowledged that I have a serious mental illness that effects my physical health, but he just retired. I do want to say something about the last time I went to him. The nurse that took my blood pressure and my pulse held my hand. My anxiety is so bad when I go to the doctor – and also just a lot of time in general – that while the pulse monitor was on my finger, my hand was shaking like crazy. The nurse put both her hands around my hand. I was shocked. I am so used to people simply looking at me, wide eyed and uncomfortable – even by health professionals – that I was shocked by the kindness that should be shown to people with mental illness, and just to people in general. That’s my soapbox spiel for the day.