Mental illness and journalism
Sometimes it seems as all of us in the community who are not identified as living with the diseases of addiction and other mental illness are colluding to avoid facing the extent of their effect on all aspects of our communities. This includes journalists who reports addiction related stories. I was again reminded of this when reading the morning news. There was the story of the mentally disturbed teenager child who is accused of shooting people at a Michigan school last week and his parents who apparently were unable to recognize and appreciate their son’s call for help. It is beyond sad that the child’s symptoms of mental illness were not taken more seriously by those who had contact with him. It is beyond sad that the parents and the child are now facing serious criminal charges.
There was also the story of the Salt Lake police officer on duty who crashed his vehicle and appeared to be high on fentanyl. A bag of that drug was found in the vehicle. I am not sure it has been proven that, in fact, he was high on fentanyl, but he was administered Narcan and taken to the hospital.
I read many stories of the Michigan teenager and his parents and only one so far of the officer in Salt Lake City. In some of the stories about the Michigan teenage boy there were reports of his cry for help but none of the stories seem to be written with an empathetic understanding and acceptance of the fact that we are dealing with another victim of mental illness which was not identified and treated. There also seemed little empathy for his parents who were clearly not trained to recognize the severity of his mental illness.
The story I read about the Salt Lake City officer did not read as if the author wanted to draw the attention of the reader to the fact that this officer may have a serious addiction disorder. One must consider the fact that to be a police officer one has to go through extensive training, often work long hours, endure pressure from the community to often do a job for which they are relatively poorly paid and not trained and then criticized when they do the job very badly or reflect the symptoms of racism, sexism and homophobia which are still such a systemic issue in our culture. Most only do that job because they have a passion for service. Why would anyone risk throwing away that job for a temporary high if one did not have the disease of addiction. One could, of course, suggest that the officer was arrogant, stupid or oblivious to the danger of addiction. Certainly, addiction affects one’s brain, one’s decisions and how one perceives self and others. One might exhibit symptoms of arrogance. Anyone who has worked with those suffering with the mental illness of addiction knows that the addiction takes over the command center of the brain. All the brain can focus on is how to feed the addiction. This is the nature of the disease. No one in their right mind, especially an officer of the law, would think they could safely use fentanyl on the job or any other time. Yet, we know that addiction does not care if one is an officer of the law, a physician, a factory worker or a young person in school. Untreated or not adequately treated mental illness, including active addiction, by definition, affects how the brain works - the decision and actions one takes.
If we want to stop or even reduce the adverse effects of mental illness we must, as a community, quit focusing on the symptoms and focus on the illness and the need for treatment. Attorneys, law enforcement personnel, including persecutors, judges, and, yes, journalists must stop diagnosing mental issues as criminal behavior. It is true that criminal behavior is often a symptom of mental illness, including addiction but it is not the primary diagnosis. We know that without an accurate diagnosis one cannot accurately treat a problem whether it is a physical issue, an electrical issue or a mental illness. Journalists, in reporting events such as the car crash of the officer in Salt Lake City, can help with this effort. For example, one could write:
“An officer in Salt Lake City apparently living with the disease of addiction sadly crashed his patrol car on such and such a date. Thankfully, neither he nor anyone else was seriously hurt. It would appear that the drug in this case might have been fentanyl which we know is often responsible for drug overdoses in this country. Thankfully, the officers responding quickly administered Narcan. They are to be commended for recognizing and treating a potential addiction related incident. It is assumed and certainly we hope that the officer will now get the treatment he needs for his disease. Our hearts go out to he, his family and all suffering with this terrible disease. We in the community can also support programs to identify and treat those serving us as first responders who may be living with addiction and other mental illness.”
I am sure a trained journalist could draft better copy. Our jails and prisons are filled with those whose primary diagnosis is mental illness including the disease of addiction. Jails and prisons are poorly designed and equipped for intensive treatment of any form of mental illness. They are very costly and ineffective. It is time we in the community do our part to accurately diagnose and treat the core issues and not just the symptoms. Journalist can play a powerful role in this commitment.
Written December 6, 2021
Jimmy F. Pickett
coachpickett.org
Sometimes it seems as all of us in the community who are not identified as living with the diseases of addiction and other mental illness are colluding to avoid facing the extent of their effect on all aspects of our communities. This includes journalists who reports addiction related stories. I was again reminded of this when reading the morning news. There was the story of the mentally disturbed teenager child who is accused of shooting people at a Michigan school last week and his parents who apparently were unable to recognize and appreciate their son’s call for help. It is beyond sad that the child’s symptoms of mental illness were not taken more seriously by those who had contact with him. It is beyond sad that the parents and the child are now facing serious criminal charges.
There was also the story of the Salt Lake police officer on duty who crashed his vehicle and appeared to be high on fentanyl. A bag of that drug was found in the vehicle. I am not sure it has been proven that, in fact, he was high on fentanyl, but he was administered Narcan and taken to the hospital.
I read many stories of the Michigan teenager and his parents and only one so far of the officer in Salt Lake City. In some of the stories about the Michigan teenage boy there were reports of his cry for help but none of the stories seem to be written with an empathetic understanding and acceptance of the fact that we are dealing with another victim of mental illness which was not identified and treated. There also seemed little empathy for his parents who were clearly not trained to recognize the severity of his mental illness.
The story I read about the Salt Lake City officer did not read as if the author wanted to draw the attention of the reader to the fact that this officer may have a serious addiction disorder. One must consider the fact that to be a police officer one has to go through extensive training, often work long hours, endure pressure from the community to often do a job for which they are relatively poorly paid and not trained and then criticized when they do the job very badly or reflect the symptoms of racism, sexism and homophobia which are still such a systemic issue in our culture. Most only do that job because they have a passion for service. Why would anyone risk throwing away that job for a temporary high if one did not have the disease of addiction. One could, of course, suggest that the officer was arrogant, stupid or oblivious to the danger of addiction. Certainly, addiction affects one’s brain, one’s decisions and how one perceives self and others. One might exhibit symptoms of arrogance. Anyone who has worked with those suffering with the mental illness of addiction knows that the addiction takes over the command center of the brain. All the brain can focus on is how to feed the addiction. This is the nature of the disease. No one in their right mind, especially an officer of the law, would think they could safely use fentanyl on the job or any other time. Yet, we know that addiction does not care if one is an officer of the law, a physician, a factory worker or a young person in school. Untreated or not adequately treated mental illness, including active addiction, by definition, affects how the brain works - the decision and actions one takes.
If we want to stop or even reduce the adverse effects of mental illness we must, as a community, quit focusing on the symptoms and focus on the illness and the need for treatment. Attorneys, law enforcement personnel, including persecutors, judges, and, yes, journalists must stop diagnosing mental issues as criminal behavior. It is true that criminal behavior is often a symptom of mental illness, including addiction but it is not the primary diagnosis. We know that without an accurate diagnosis one cannot accurately treat a problem whether it is a physical issue, an electrical issue or a mental illness. Journalists, in reporting events such as the car crash of the officer in Salt Lake City, can help with this effort. For example, one could write:
“An officer in Salt Lake City apparently living with the disease of addiction sadly crashed his patrol car on such and such a date. Thankfully, neither he nor anyone else was seriously hurt. It would appear that the drug in this case might have been fentanyl which we know is often responsible for drug overdoses in this country. Thankfully, the officers responding quickly administered Narcan. They are to be commended for recognizing and treating a potential addiction related incident. It is assumed and certainly we hope that the officer will now get the treatment he needs for his disease. Our hearts go out to he, his family and all suffering with this terrible disease. We in the community can also support programs to identify and treat those serving us as first responders who may be living with addiction and other mental illness.”
I am sure a trained journalist could draft better copy. Our jails and prisons are filled with those whose primary diagnosis is mental illness including the disease of addiction. Jails and prisons are poorly designed and equipped for intensive treatment of any form of mental illness. They are very costly and ineffective. It is time we in the community do our part to accurately diagnose and treat the core issues and not just the symptoms. Journalist can play a powerful role in this commitment.
Written December 6, 2021
Jimmy F. Pickett
coachpickett.org
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