Examiner – by JOSEPH KIRKHB 1355, 1 July 2013, went into effect today being signed by Governor Rick Scott. Is it necessary or discriminating for ratings? Is the legislative branch turning into a Hollywood production or has it lost it’s way do to lack of oversight without foresight?
Although most agencies report without showing the bill here is the link:
An excerpt: ‘Purchase of Firearms by Mentally Ill Persons: Provides conditions under which person who has been voluntarily admitted to mental institution for treatment…’
Leaps and bounds are presented here with extreme potential for not only discrimination but also abuse. Lets not forget those suffering funerals or deaths in the family who have a moment of depression, now will pay for it in the long run and be labeled “mentally ill.”
Now citizen’s gun rights are being left not in the hands of law makers but in the hands of the already corrupt health care agencies of Florida. Look at how many physicians are arrested, ‘in the United States number one for public corruption State of Florida’, for racketeering, collusion and corruption in Florida, especially pill mills.
Summary:
Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.
For the purpose of Section 242, acts under “color of law” include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within the their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official’s lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include police officers, prisons guards and other law enforcement officials, as well as judges, care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of the victim.
Facts:
Most crimes of passion are not done by mentally ill people but by people in a heat of passion or rage. In fact you can find facts here.
- Fact 1: The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent.
- Fact 2: The public is misinformed about the link between mental illness and violence.
- Fact 3: Inaccurate beliefs about mental illness and violence lead to widespread stigma and discrimination.
- Fact 4: The link between mental illness and violence is promoted by the entertainment and news media.
Here is what researchers say about the link between mental illness and violence:
– ‘Although studies suggest a link between mental illnesses and violence, the contribution of people with mental illnesses to overall rates of violence is small, and further, the magnitude of the relationship is greatly exaggerated in the minds of the general population (Institute of Medicine, 2006).’
– ‘…the vast majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).’
– “The absolute risk of violence among the mentally ill as a group is very small. . . only a small proportion of the violence in our society can be attributed to persons who are mentally ill (Mulvey, 1994).”
-‘People with psychiatric disabilities are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crime (Appleby, et al., 2001). People with severe mental illnesses, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or psychosis, are 2 ½ times more likely to be attacked, raped or mugged than the general population (Hiday, et al.,1999).’
A longitudinal study of American’s attitudes on mental health between 1950 and 1996 found, ‘the proportion of Americans who describe mental illness in terms consistent with violent or dangerous behavior nearly doubled.’ Also, the vast majority of Americans believe that persons with mental illnesses pose a threat for violence towards others and themselves (Pescosolido, et al., 1996, Pescosolido et al., 1999).
The discrimination and stigma associated with mental illnesses stem in part, from the link between mental illness and violence in the minds of the general public (DHHS, 1999, Corrigan, et al., 2002).
The effects of stigma and discrimination are profound. The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health found that, ‘Stigma leads others to avoid living, socializing, or working with, renting to, or employing people with mental disorders – especially severe disorders, such as schizophrenia. It leads to low self-esteem, isolation, and hopelessness. It deters the public from seeking and wanting to pay for care. Responding to stigma, people with mental health problems internalize public attitudes and become so embarrassed or ashamed that they often conceal symptoms and fail to seek treatment (New Freedom Commission, 2003).’
‘Characters in prime time television portrayed as having a mental illness are depicted as the most dangerous of all demographic groups: 60 percent were shown to be involved in crime or violence’ (Mental Health American, 1999).
‘Most news accounts portray people with mental illness as dangerous’ (Wahl, 1995).
‘The vast majority of news stories on mental illness either focus on other negative characteristics related to people with the disorder (e.g., unpredictability and unsociability) or on medical treatments. Notably absent are positive stories that highlight recovery of many persons with even the most serious of mental illnesses’ (Wahl, et al., 2002).
Citations:
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Fact Sheet: Violence and Mental Illness. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Appleby, L., Mortensen, P. B., Dunn, G., & Hiroeh, U. (2001). Death by homicide, suicide, and other unnatural causes in people with mental illness: a population-based study. The Lancet, 358, 2110-2112.
Corrigan, P.W., Rowan, D., Green, A., et al. (2002) .Challenging two mental illness stigmas: Personal responsibility and dangerousness. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 28, 293-309.
Hiday, V. A. (2006). Putting Community Risk in Perspective: a Look at Correlations, Causes and Controls. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 29, 316-331.
Institute of Medicine, Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine, 2006.
Mental Health America. American Opinions on Mental Health Issues. Alexandria: NMHA, 1999.
Mulvey, E. P. (1994). Assessing the evidence of a link between mental illness and violence. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 45, 663-668.
Pescosolido, B.A., Monahan, J. Link, B.G. Stueve, A., & Kikuzawa, S. (1999). The public’s view of the competence, dangerousness, and need for legal coercion of persons with mental health problems. American Journal of Public Health, 89, 1339-1345.
New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. Final Report. DHHS Pub. No. SMA-03-3832. Rockville, MD: 2003.
Wahl, O. (1995). Media Madness: Public Images of Mental Illness. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Wahl, O.F., et al. (2002). Newspaper coverage of mental illness: is it changing? Psychiatric Rehabilitation Skills, 6, 9-31.
http://www.examiner.com/article/gun-rights-discrimination-or-safety
Total scam. Psychiatry always has been.