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MI and the death penalty


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I read the story about James Holmes last night on CNN and it really upset me. First,  I should start by saying I am against the death penalty in all cases. However,  I can also understand why so many people are seeking justice against the horrible crimes James has committed. I can also relate to James, although I find it difficult to admit it.  I have never had homicidal thoughts, but I can understand how you can get so lost in your delusions that you completely leave reality. James talks about his "broken brain" and I can definitely relate to that feeling. The horror of knowing you are slowly going insane and the difficulty in getting the right treatment to stop the slide. It doesn't sound as if James was put on APs but only zoloft - and therefore was not provided the help he was desperately seeking. Many of us with SZ or SZA have experienced this exactly. Such a tragedy that lead to unimaginable tragedies. 

For those who have never experienced MI it is easy to hate and want to kill James Holmes. For those of us who have it is unfortunately easy to relate to certain aspects of his MI story. 

My admittedly naive hope is that we can learn from Jane's story and confront our country's treatment of the mentally ill finally. My cynical side tells me this will, yet again, not happen. 

My heart breaks for the families of those killed, but it also breaks for James. 

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I don't agree with the death penalty, for pretty much anything. The error rate is outrageously high, to start. The cost. The psychological torture for years. The methods they've been using are gruesome. .

This book I found at a used book store years ago and have read several times. It really changed my view on violence in MI, and the death penalty itself. I live in a country (Canada) where we don't have it. Good.

The book, "Guilty by Reason of Insanity" is a neurodoc and pdoc team that work with criminals on death row. They do try to get people with MI out of a death sentence, IIRC. It's a good book, pretty graphic though, good read.

I hope there are more advocates like them to get MI people out of a death sentence.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I don't know much about his background but if they were aware that he had severe mental health issues and he wasn't getting the help he needed then those professionals need to take some responsibility. If not legally then definitely morally.

I agree.  And he had to have been seeing a DR of some kind who prescribed the meds to him.

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Technically, you can't put someone to death who is so detached from reality that they don't know why they're there, or are non compos mentis. The reality is that a lot of prison wardens don't believe in mental illness, and don't pay attention to that law.

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