TranquillitySenior Contributor
Schizophrenia
Given the horror and tragedy in Bondi recently due to the actions of a schizophrenia diagnosed man who had been taken off his antipsychotic medication, the issue of mental health support is being hotly discussed on various social media platforms.
Unfortunately, as most of us with direct experience of someone we know or ourselves having schizophrenia know, stigma and misunderstanding in the community prevail with the schizophrenia label. There are many who think schizophrenics could be a risk to the community if they are not medicated, and the events of the last week serve to entrench such views.
My own view, as one who has a schizophrenia diagnosis and spending time in mental hospitals, is that there should never be a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment, especially for a complex mental health condition.
Not every schizophrenic always needs to be medicated, for example, contrary to some of the community misunderstanding one encounters.
The other aspect to this I've noticed is that almost every post and comment I've read discussing this tragedy, the focus has been on mental health. But what is glaring to my mind is how easy it appears to be to be able to purchase a dangerous weapon—not simply a kitchen utensil but a military grade weapon. Even for someone without mental illness, to be able to easily obtain such a weapon is concerning. Are there no background checks? Is there no register or record of who is purchasing such weapons and why? How much more concerning it is if someone with a mental condition can readily obtain such a weapon.
