There is no threat of war any more. It's all economic.

So let's spend our money productively, not counterproductively. (That's not even an adverb. I just invented it. )

and we do nothing to help them.

Reagan killed that option, though, and our government hasn't made any changes.

People need access to all kinds of healthcare.

Hi y'all. I've been lurking here for a little over a year but this finally gave me the kick in the butt that I needed to sign up so I could post.

Earlier today I shared this very article on Facebook, and I am so happy to come to DU and find you all talking about it too.

I could have written this article. I could be this mom. My now 19 year old son has a mental illness and his behavior is quite similar to her son's. And I have struggled to get help for him just like her. Its heart-breaking.

Every time something like the Sandy Hook tragedy happens I want to grab people by the lapels and scream at them, "Its not just guns! Its MENTAL ILLNESS!

These people need help. Their caregivers need help. Their teachers and principals and coaches and probation officers need help. Their pediatricians and school counselors need help. I needed help (still do to be honest). My son needs help. This mom and her son need help.

I don't know what the solution is but I know that we need to start talking about it. "Guns, guns, guns..." dominates the media coverage. Its a real hot-button issue that gets people riled up and gets ratings. And I think gun safety IS an important issue. But it really isn't THE issue.

The 500 pound gorilla that everybody pretends isn't in the room is MENTAL ILLNESS. We have to figure out something before her son or mine hurts themselves or does something as terrible as what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Break the stigma. Mental illness is a disease, not a moral failing.

I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for reading.

Posted by a friend of mine's daughter who has a 20 year-old bipolar brother. Her brother means a lot to me and I have watched the family struggles for far too many years and these struggles seem to have no end.

I'm glad you came on-board. I love this haven and visit almost daily, but you can see that my post count is rather low for having had joined in 2000.

Again, welcome and thank you for helping to break the stigma.

The wonderful thing about DU is that you never have to get of the soapbox. Say what you need say.

At my church yesterday, we prayed for the dead of Newtown, and for the families. I also said a quiet prayer for the strange, geeky boy in the photos I had seen online - a bright boy from accounts I have read, but different. There must have been a problem - was it not recognised; recognised but not talked about; was help sought but inadequate, or not sought at all?

I didn't feel anger or disgust when I looked at his photo, but sorrow and compassion. We can probably all recognise the seriously mentally ill in the community, but there are many "disorders" that go under the radar, too often with tragic consequences, for both the sufferers and their victims.

In Australia, we also have pitifully inadequate resources to help these children/adults - the one saving grace is that it's not so easy to get hold of a gun. What will it take for governments everywhere to allocate more resources for research into mental disorders so that the Newtowns will become a rarity, not a regular occurrence?