Mass shooting claims 12 lives and injures 8 others
Denise Greiner
There’s been another mass shooting.
The names and numbers have changed but the facts remain the same; a gunman with a long history of mental illness planned and executed the murders of many innocent people.
This time, the shooter was Aaron Alexis, age 34, who used his security clearance to gain access to the Washington, DC Navy Yard, where he shot 20 people. 12 died, 8 were injured, and Alexis himself was killed by police.
Our human reaction is to rage, to mourn and then, to forget, until the next time, when this same thing happens all over again.
Alexis completely to blame for this heinous act, or does complicity lie with the community, his family, friends and co-workers, who said they knew something was wrong, but did not do enough to keep us safe from him, and to keep him safe from himself.
From all accounts, Alexis was suffering schizophrenia, and insidious, hideous trickery of the mind. Bill Evans, director of Recovery Now, calls the disease, “the worst kind of crazy, for it tortures its victims relentlessly. In the midst of a schizophrenic break, imagined sights and sounds bombard your brain and you are unable to distinguish fact from fiction.”
I sat down with Marnie E., a consumer at Recovery Now, and she said, “Don’t call me a schizophrenic. I’m Marnie and I’ve been diagnosed with schizophrenia. I’m also a softball player, I work at dairy Queen and I love my little Toby (her dog). I’ve been on Seroquel for 7 months and it’s quieted the voices in my head. I finally have some peace and rest.”
Marnie is an example of someone who has learned to manage their mental illness and find hope and purpose for their lives.
Mentally ill people live and work all around us.
By helping them, we help ourselves, and our communities become safer, more humane places.
If you or someone you know is showing signs of behavioral distress, please get help before it’s too late.
MCC offers on-site counseling and referral services. Take that first step, and begin the journey to mental health wellness and recovery.
