When Gayle Giese heard about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, about 20 miles north of her home in Broward County, Florida, she said one of her first thoughts was, “Oh my gosh, they’re going to blame this on mental illness.”
When Gayle Giese heard about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, about 20 miles north of her home in Broward County, Fla., she said one of her first thoughts was, “Oh my gosh, they’re going to blame this on mental illness.”“He’s a wonderful person with a terrible illness,” she said.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent less than one percent of the yearly gun homicides in America. A 2015 study looking at 235 mass killings determined that 22 percent of the perpetrators were considered mentally ill. And research shows people with a mental illness are more likely to harm themselves than others, and they are often the victims of violent crime.
“I remember we would study together. He would say, ‘Mom, I’m getting stupid. I can’t think straight. I’m confused,’” Giese recalled. “I blew it off and all his teachers blew it off because he was in the gifted program and was still scoring high on his tests.” Giese says that like other serious illnesses, early detection and treatment is crucial to a mentally ill patient’s outcome.She regrets that it took five years from the first signs of trouble to get Andrew the correct diagnosis.
Sandra Cumper is the executive director of NAMI Broward County. She says that level of support and dedication from family is vital to a person’s recovery from mental illness.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gun control: Here's where lawmakers stand on gun control measures
Read more »
One week after mass shootings, the Florida GOP will hold voter registration at gun showThe Republican Party of Florida are planning to hold two voter registration drives at a gun show in the battleground state this weekend.
Read more »
Florida Republicans target gun shows to find Trump votersFlorida Republicans will send volunteers to a gun show this weekend to register new voters who are Trump supporters
Read more »
Reshaping of federal courts concerns gun control supportersSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, including a ban on the type of high-capacity ammunition magazines used in some of the nation's deadliest mass...
Read more »
Mitch McConnell: Background checks 'front and center' on gun control
Read more »
Are gun rights supporters misinterpreting the Second Amendment?One former Supreme Court Chief Justice said if he had to do it all over again, he'd leave the Second Amendment out of the Bill of Rights. Jeffrey Rosen\njoins us to look at what the document underpinning gun rights actually says.
Read more »