60 Minutes report and the madness

Laura Davis62 said:That latest 60 Minutes episode (and honestly, not just that one) really shook people to the core. We’ve finally had to face the terrifying reality that there are actual, dangerous potential killers living among us. Maybe this will actually pressure The Administration to stop ignoring this hideous sickness—which is basically a cancer of the soul. It’s a heavy burden, but it’s incredibly dangerous for everyone nearby. Looking at it from that angle, is it even possible to make treatment a legal requirement? And I’m not talking about making them take their meds in front of Mom or Dad, but under the supervision of a doctor or a nurse, similar to how methadone clinics operate! Parents want to be parents; love often overrides common sense, and that's just human nature. Parents are usually the very last people to admit their child is mentally ill, and they refuse to take the blame for it. How is it that we "treat" addicts in outpatient clinics where they show up every single day for their dose? Schizophrenics often deny they're even sick (with a few exceptions, though those exceptions aren't always the most severe cases), and most of them reject medication, calling it poison. We've seen what happens when that happens too many times. The voices in their heads tell them the medicine is poison, the parents say "just take it," and then the parents end up facing a knife or a bullet. So what happens next? The journalists we yell at—the ones who have been heckled more than once (sometimes rightfully so)—are the only ones actually doing the work to raise awareness about the dangers of schizophreniais.

Yeah, it's a tough one. Still, I know a guy who finished an engineering degree and works as a manager at a major corporation. He does his job perfectly fine, but people say he's "odd." I don't think someone like him would ever kill anyone; he just walks around thinking nobody likes him and rambles about it.

I didn't catch it—what happened? I always find myself feeling a bit uneasy after watching that series.

So I heard about this one family, right? They were actually doing okay until about three years ago when both twin sons hit the wall with paranoid schizophrenia. They were in treatment for a bit, but thanks to the way things work here, the law basically limits their hospital stays to just three weeks because keeping people like that overnight costs the government too much $133!!!! So now they’re both back home, and the mom is basically running solo. There’s no dad in the picture—he never even acknowledged them. The mother works as a cleaner at some absolute dive of a motel, leaving the boys home alone most of the time. One of them is doing slightly better and was even offered a job, though it’s super flexible—he works when he can and quits when he feels like crashing. But the other guy? He’s constantly struggling. He’s so terrified of the outside world that his mom actually had to lock him in a room because he’s convinced journalists are terrorists or aliens or something. Some incredibly sweet girl from school actually rallied her classmates together, collected clothes and gifts, and brought them over to help out. The heartbreaking part is that the mom just can’t work and provide full-time care at the same time. The only real "fix" would be putting the son who's struggling more into a care facility, but she just won't do it. It's brutal. The Administration thinks it's too expensive to fund healthcare for sick people, yet we'll happily throw millions of taxpayer dollars at buying some fancy little jet for Mr. Grumpington. What a joke...

Laura Davis62, what you are doing here is nothing short of fearmongering, and frankly, it’s starting to veer dangerously close to hate speech. You ought to be more careful with your rhetoric. Not every individual living with schizophrenia suffers from paranoia, nor does everyone carry murderous intent.
It seems you lack a fundamental understanding of how most people with this diagnosis actually function; if I am not mistaken, you are basing your entire worldview on a single segment from a program whose objectivity is already highly questionable. Perhaps you should try educating yourself.
It is true that paranoid schizophrenics can occasionally become violent, and it is equally true that the government fails them miserably—there needs to be far more meaningful engagement and support. However, forcing people to take medication under medical supervision every single day... well, that is a different matter entirely. The law exists as it does for a reason; while I am certainly not suggesting it cannot be improved, there is a legitimate issue regarding forced hospitalization in extreme cases. But attempting to alarm the general public about the supposed "dangers of schizophrenia" lurking around every corner? That is simply hate speech and discrimination.
Watch your step.

stormymaker24 said:mini_star, what you're doing is just spreading panic, and honestly, it's starting to veer into hate speech territory.

👍 and the rest of the post

mini, just be careful 😉