Martin Place Tragedy

Thanks @Former-Member for raising such a relevant and concerning topic.

How have other members experienced media and other public comments?

Hi Brandnewway

See seek to Sane press release

http://www.sane.org/sane-media/news-comment

You are absolutely correct. The menal illness part of this tragedy is being played up. It is politically expediment to continue to refer to terrible events such as this as mental illness related. It keeps people wary and discourages the public from looking a lilttle closer at mental health as a social and economic and humanitarian issue other than one which requires punitive intervention.

That being said. I read nothing in the media that convinces me this event happened because of an acute episode.

With 1 in 5 people experiencing mental illness in this country the chances are pretty weighted that any perpetrator of any crime may also have mental health issues.This is also true of anybody who commits an act of charity. Or kindness, or excellence.

Perhaps a paradigm shift can only come about through more intense engagement in the media and/or more comprehensive Public education.

I do know that if research dollars were on par with other medical conditions breing researched currently we would have a more conclusive knowledge about the hows and whys of complex mental illness , we would have more affective medications and more efficacious therapies.

I say all of this because I am biased.

The media prints the story the way they print for the same reason

The difference.

The media is supposed to be unbiased.

Hi Brandnewway

Sane press release

http://www.sane.org/sane-media/news-comment

You are absolutely correct. The menal illness part of this tragedy is being played up. It is politically expediment to continue to refer to terrible events such as this as mental illness related. It keeps people wary and discourages the public from looking a lilttle closer at mental health as a social and economic and humanitarian issue other than one which requires punitive intervention.

That being said. I read nothing in the media that convinces me this event happened because of an acute episode.

With 1 in 5 people experiencing mental illness in this country the chances are pretty weighted that any perpetrator of any crime may also have mental health issues.This is also true of anybody who commits an act of charity. Or kindness, or excellence.

Perhaps a paradigm shift can only come about through more intense engagement in the media and/or more comprehensive Public education.

I do know that if research dollars were on par with other medical conditions breing researched currently we would have a more conclusive knowledge about the hows and whys of complex mental illness , we would have more affective medications and more efficacious therapies.

I say all of this because I am biased.

The media prints the story the way they print for the same reason

The difference.

The media is supposed to be unbiased.

This whole thing just makes me really sad and got quite depressed thinking about the survivers that may now develop problems like why did i live etc etc. at the begining they will have support but if my experince tells me anything as time goes on people will draw away from them. and then they will start to blame themselfs for this also.

I really hope not but fear its what will happen.

Scorpoion

Hi Skorpion

That is a very insightful observation. It speaks to your humanity in a wonderful way!

It is likely that the survivors having undergone such a traumtic experience they will been left with an affect.

Hopefully, and I believe this is currently Police policy, the brave people will be being assessed right now and be given counselling as we speak.

This is the current model that police all around the country use for victims of violent crime. In this particular case I think all stops will be pulled and referrals to appropriate clinicians made immediately. The consequence of not being proactive in this case would be embarrassing to Police.

That being said. if trauma is addressed quickly and treated effectively than the people in that store should on the whole make a good recovery and hopefully it will linger as nothing more than a bad memory.

For so many people who experience trauma, the fact that it is not addressed or treated within a short time is the thing which turns a traumatic experience into a trauma related disorder.

Personally I am praying for them to recover quickly so they may resume the lives they have always lived. And of course to do so with as little scarring as possible.

God help them and may all of us have them in our thoughts

hope even in these circumstances endures

Rick