Some people really are insane
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:37 am
And I'll add another few. Traumatic brain injury, generalized anxiety disorder, and putting up with stuff for several months after my son was born like, "I love my new baby so much I COULD THROW MYSELF OFF THIS BRIDGE I happen to be crossing! Huh? Where did that thought come from?" Classic case of your example number one, post-partum depression.
I think it makes it easier for us to cope by writing off this woman's actions as the product of a mental illness. That someone could plan (as this woman did apparently from the very beginning) and carry out such a crime with a completely clear head is not something fun to consider, especially if you're comfortable in thinking each individual is good by nature, rather than a mix capable of choosing the aspects of our nature upon which we act. It's easier to assume people commit grisly crimes like this because they're mentally ill because you can treat mental illness with counseling, a variety of therapies, medication, and sometimes even hospitalization.
When the only thing wrong with someone is that at some point they decide, "What I want is more important than this other person's life," there's no pill to treat that.
I think it makes it easier for us to cope by writing off this woman's actions as the product of a mental illness. That someone could plan (as this woman did apparently from the very beginning) and carry out such a crime with a completely clear head is not something fun to consider, especially if you're comfortable in thinking each individual is good by nature, rather than a mix capable of choosing the aspects of our nature upon which we act. It's easier to assume people commit grisly crimes like this because they're mentally ill because you can treat mental illness with counseling, a variety of therapies, medication, and sometimes even hospitalization.
When the only thing wrong with someone is that at some point they decide, "What I want is more important than this other person's life," there's no pill to treat that.