Impressions we make are essential to how we view each other. Social awareness, some call it mindfulness, of the unsaid signals we emit are part and parcel of human interactions. But what happens when a person doesn’t understand the nuances and the secret handshake of unwritten social rules? What happens when these people become so overwhelmed by their environment that they exhibit actions, such as a meltdown, inappropriate yelling – laughing, or experience a panic attack complete with hysterics and uncontrollable crying?
It’s one thing if the helpless person involved is a child. Most of society has all sorts of qualifiers for a child that has issues and mental health concerns. But, as a person ages, society’s tolerance for such actions not only becomes mute, but in most part disappears altogether. Mental illness becomes an unspoken burden in part because it is sadly ignored, swept away by families due to societal derision. As a person ages the stigma associated with mental illness becomes as much of a weight as the illness itself.
Society lacks basic knowledge about mental health issues. And in many ways tabloid journalism is to blame. The issues are sensationalized, especially when a violent individual commits some unspeakable crimes. (Ignoring the fact that most heinous crimes are actually committed by person considered sane.)The news will drone on and on about a subject that they know nothing about, simply making life unbearable for those already viewed to live on the fringes of society. The uneducated make conjectures, elicit ignorant opinions and promote fear instead of trying to enunciate understanding of what mental illness is and what it is not.
-Mental illness covers a wide range of illnesses. HERE Everything from ADD to autism to panic attacks to PTSD to the more severe forms of schizophrenia.
-The overwhelmingly vast majority of persons with mental illness are NOT violent. In fact they are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than the perpetrator. HERE
It is important to remember that those with mental health illnesses are trying their best. What they need is understanding and acceptance. We can talk about accommodations and we can talk about civil rights until we are “blue in the face,” but in truth, if someone is uncomfortable around a person with a mental illness, there will never be friends, employment and a successful navigation of society. Can comfort be taught? Can compassion become part and parcel of society?
First, what society needs to understand is that meltdowns, panic attacks, “episodes” are personal to the person. It is how the effected individual is feeling at that one given moment in time. Their being overwhelmed is about how they are processing the sensory information before them. They are in that space and they cannot necessarily remove themselves from that tornado that is their mind. (And as I have said before this inability to see beyond themselves-mindblindness- becomes more problematic as a person ages. A meltdown by a 10-year-old is taken alot differently than a meltdown by a 200 pound, 6 foot tall, grown-adult-male.) HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE
Second, yes, once their “episode” is over, they are capable of understanding what has happened. They realize, once they feel better, if they have been mean, cross or had been inappropriate. “I’m sorry,” is something heartfelt. Apologies abound. They truly feel embarrassed when they have digressed in the presence of their peers and they truly feel shame.
But unfortunately if their actions have frightened someone, scared off a potential friend, or have lost them a job, sometimes there really is no going back. What is lost is lost. The question becomes how do you teach them to understand their feelings in the moment and to control themselves? How do you teach them that impressions are real and that they have consequences before these consequences are life effecting?
Lastly, so what is a parent or caregiver to do? It is trying to teach the idea that it is the little things that become important when talking about perception. It is the little things that become important when preparing someone for the future.
Walking out of a room, class or environment when they start to feel overwhelmed is a typical self-help method. (Making sure that they leave the room before they exhibit any negative actions is important also, and part of a long process of education.) Trying to get them to understand that their “tone” in a conversation is essential to how their emotional state is perceived is important for social interactions at both school and work. Teaching them the appropriate way to horse-around (even though it seems that in a school setting typical male bonding is seen as anathema in the first place in today’s world) and what to say as a “joke” in public is a good place to start, when teaching about community acceptance. Getting them to understand the necessity of therapy and medication to their own well-being. Promoting a healthy attitude towards exercise, food and self-care can also help in their navigation of the world.
But in the end we do need to accept the fact that there is also just so much anyone person can do to accommodate the world-at-large as well. We also need to understand that no matter how hard those with mental health issues do try, there is always going to be that one person who is just totally unaccepting towards them. This person will, no matter what, never forgive the ill for who they are. They will never see beyond the disability or mental health issue. Honestly, its better to teach the effected individual how to identify these antagonistic people and to just stay away from them. You can’t please everyone and honestly it’s not even worth trying.
As I have always taught my children this primary life lesson…wherever you go in life there is always going to be one “shmendrick.” The trick in life is to NOT be the “shmendrick.” That is basically impressions in a nutshell. That is the basic goal of those with challenges.
In the meantime, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Maybe one day there will be more give and take with society. Maybe one day the partnership will actually be 50-50. But until that time we work, we teach and we hope that the stigma of mental illness will be lifted and those that are forced onto the fringes of society will be accepted, understood and welcomed into the world inwhich they live.
As more states embrace legalization of marijuana—a pet cause of George Soros for decades—the British publication The Independent has published a groundbreaking series of articles by journalist Patrick Cockburn on how his son went insane smoking the drug.
Cockburn and his son Henry, who was treated for psychosis and partially recovered, have written an article in which Patrick Cockburn is quoted as saying his son played Russian roulette with cannabis “and lost.”
Henry, who smoked marijuana daily for seven years and was in mental hospitals for about eight years as a result, says, “When I reached a mental hospital, called St Martin’s, I spent three hours walking around the lunch tables trying to listen to my shoes. I thought my shoes were talking to me.”
Patrick Cockburn spent months speaking to the experts in the field and reports on the substantial evidence linking sustained marijuana use with mental illness. One expert, Sir William Paton, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, reveals “that even limited social use of cannabis could precipitate schizophrenia in people who previously had no psychological problems,” and noted that “smoking a single joint could induce schizophrenia-like symptoms such as hallucinations, paranoia and fragmented thought processes.”
“Three-quarters of consumers may take cannabis with no ill effect but the remaining quarter, the genetically vulnerable, play Russian roulette,” Cockburn says.
The added significance of the series of articles by Patrick Cockburn is that he is a left-wing media figure—the son of Marxist author Claud Cockburn—and might be predisposed to believe that marijuana is, as the liberal media constantly tell us, a relatively harmless drug or a substance with “medical” qualities. But he knows the harm it causes firsthand through what it did to his son.
AIM noted back in 2004, in a special report on George Soros, the main financier behind the drug legalization movement, that although marijuana is depicted by the media as a “soft” drug, it has “extremely negative consequences.” The book,Marijuana and Madness, cites studies and evidence from around the world, some of it going back 40 years, linking the use of marijuana to mental illnesses, including schizophrenia and psychosis.
In a previous article for the left-wing publication Counterpunch, Patrick Cockburn took issue with a report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy which played down the dangers associated with marijuana. “They fail to make clear that for people genetically susceptible to psychosis the risks involved in taking cannabis may be lethally high,” he noted. “Cigarettes and alcohol, whatever harm they cause, do not, at a young age, send you mad.”
The Global Commission on Drug Policy is funded by the Open Society Institute of George Soros.
In this country, the case of Pentagon shooter John Patrick Bedell stands out as a case study of the harmful effects of the drug. Bedell, who shot and wounded two guards at the Pentagon in March of 2010, was a psychotic pothead who hated a government that he believed was standing in the way of his desire to use, grow and glorify marijuana. He virtually worshipped the drug. “I’m a cannabis enthusiast,” he proclaimed.
John Podesta, head of the Soros-funded Center for American Progress (CAP), had suggested on ABC News that the taxing and legalization of marijuana on a national basis could be a way to pay for Obama’s health care plan.
“The pro-cannabis lobby says that the so-called ‘war on drugs’ has failed and legalization or regulation should be tried, though critics argue that no government would ever license a drug that sends at least two percent of its consumers insane,” Cockburn reports.
In the first of Cockburn’s articles, “Is this the ‘tobacco moment’ for cannabis?,” the veteran foreign correspondent suggests a connection between marijuana use and psychotic episodes that is comparable to the scientific recognition that tobacco smoking causes lung cancer and other illnesses.
In addition to the dangers of mental illness, Cockburn notes that a major study finds a drop in intelligence associated with heavy marijuana use.
Cockburn’s articles on the link between marijuana and mental illness become increasingly relevant as the public in the U.S. comes to grips with the fact that voters in the states of Washington and Colorado on November 6 passed ballot measures legalizing marijuana, in violation of federal law. Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette has introduced federal legalization that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to assert that federal law does not preempt state laws.
In response, a group called Save Our Society From Drugs, has said, “Many concerned citizens, community groups, law enforcement agencies and elected officials are concerned how these laws will impact their communities, states and the nation, and are urging the Obama Administration to take action by clearly communicating and enforcing federal drug policies.”
The group added, “Keeping marijuana illegal is a treaty obligation under the 1961 International Convention on Narcotic Drugs and is supported by the two other Conventions: the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Drugs and the 1988 Anti-Trafficking Convention. Allowing state marijuana laws to supersede federal drug laws violates our treaty obligations.”
It said, “Marijuana legalization will significantly impact our environment, school scores and drop-out rates, accident and vehicle fatality rates, employee productivity, and healthcare and treatment costs.”
But the Soros-funded Drug Policy Alliance is rallying behind the DeGette bill, saying it would “end federal marijuana prohibition and allow states to set their own marijuana policy without federal interference.”
22 August 2012: Since reporting on the account of Jason Egroff, a 28 year-old Scranton, Pennsylvania web designer and Blog Talk Radio host of the weekly Revelation News Christian broadcast, I have received documentation of numerous cases where outspoken critics specific to the anti-Christian agenda of Barack Hussein Obama experienced similar encounters with “mental health professionals”.
In the event you are unfamiliar with the full account of Mr. Egroff, it is documented here. In short, Mr. Egroff was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility for evaluation due to his pro-Christian yet non-threatening religious views opposing those of the Obama regime. Of course, that’s not the official psychiatric diagnosis given to him, but after an extensive investigation into the events leading up to and following his evaluation, it might as well be. What was uncovered in subsequent investigations involving other “patients,” I for one am convinced that the common element in all similar cases is one’s Christian beliefs when combined with a vocal opposition to Obama agenda. I’m also convinced we’ve identified their playbook.
Further research into this tactic left me both surprised and shaken to the core. My findings have determined that the situation involving Mr. Egroff is not an isolated case, but one of a growing and effective tactic currently being used to silence the Christian “watchmen” in the U.S. The victims of these tactics are not fanatical, they do not advocate violence, and certainly do not represent any threat to themselves or others. Their common “crime” is that they believe in the Word of God, the Holy Bible, and vocally identify the transgressions of our current government as they relate to the Bible and Scripture. To the Obama regime, this has obviously become a dangerous political threat.
Obama tactics from the Communist playbook
With gratitude to the research of Mary Ann, a listener of the Hagmann & Hagmann Report and reader of this website, this author was alerted to the January 2010 edition of the Schizophrenia Bulletin authored by Robert van Voren. The abstract contains important documented evidence that reads like the mental health chapter from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security handbook, except that it details the strategies of communist Russia in the 1970′s and 1980′s. During the height of political oppression in the Soviet Union, for example, studies found that at least one-third of the political prisoners were locked up in psychiatric hospitals.
As noted by the author, “using psychiatry as a means of repression has been a particular favorite of Socialist-oriented regimes.” What are we seeing take place in the United States today? We are witnessing a sudden and widespread increase in the “thought police” and by extension, the “religion police.” In the aforementioned bulletin, the author states that “[T]he political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union originated from the concept that persons who opposed the Soviet regime were mentally ill because there was no other logical explanation why one would oppose the best sociopolitical system in the world.”
It is also important to point out that the author notes that under the misuse of psychiatry by the state, the “patient” was diagnosed as having sluggish schizophrenia. He adds that “[T]he patient with paranoid symptoms retained some insight in his condition but overvalued his own importance and might exhibit grandiose ideas of reforming society. Thus, symptoms of sluggish schizophrenia could be “reform delusions,” “struggle for the truth,” and “perseverance.” So, according to the nationalized psychiatrists of the former Soviet Union, it was accepted that anyone desiring to eliminate Socialism is mentally ill, and possesses the shocking symptoms and impairments as a desire to seek political reform, learn the truth, and exhibit perseverance in the process. Sound familiar?
As one digs deeper into today’s headlines, it is evident that the socialist inclinations of the current administration, from Obama to Holder to Napolitano and across the higher levels of government, are becoming more apparent. Noted in the study is a reference to Russia that appears to apply here in the U.S.; “the deteriorating political climate seems to create an atmosphere in which local authorities feel that they can again use psychiatry as a means of intimidation.”
Steve, please call me at your earliest convenience. I have some breaking information regarding an Army combat veteran (and Christian) in Ohio who was just raided this evening for the same reasons Brandon Raub was arrested. There were no criminal charges, no suspicions of criminal activity charge, and he was notarrested but all of his firearms were confiscated and he has been given a notice to appear before a judge. He is a Purple Heart recipient, no criminal background, no issues with prior VA psych evals. I just got off the phone with him and would like to pass along all of the information (and there is quite a bit) so others can be made aware of what is happening.
At 18:40 EST on 22/Aug/2012, I received a call from a very close friend of mine in west central Ohio, claiming he had just had all firearms confiscated. At first I thought he was joking, as we often do, so I made some sarcastic remarks, but he continued explaining what he had gone through. I stopped him and asked if he was being serious or just pulling my leg. He assured me he was being serious. I’ll provide you with the details as best I can- he conveyed all of this information to me during our second phone conversation after I had returned home at approximately 20:30 EST.
A search warrant was executed by Miami County Ohio Sheriff’s deputies at approximately 1730 EST at the home of my friend, at the exact time he was returning home from work. The minute he got in the back door from the garage, there was a knock at the front door, and a cruiser pulled up directly behind his truck (which he could see from inside the house.) There were seven Sheriff’s deputies in total, and the warrant they produced gave them the ability to find, secure, and obtain any deadly weapons. The reason stated on the warrant was for the “safety of the defendant (my friend,) and the general public.” The order was signed by a local judge around noon on 21/Aug/2012.
My friend was able to read off parts of the warrant to me, and I transcribed them as best I could:
"…Defendant shall not possess, use, carry, or obtain any deadly weapon and shall turn over all deadly weapons in defendant’s possession to the law enforcement agency that serves this order. Any law enforcement agency is authorized to take possession of deadly weapons pursuant to this paragraph and hold them in protective custody until further court order…" NCIC[06] "…if defendant is in possession of deadly weapons, defendant is guilty of violating Ohio revised code 2923.13(5). Whoever violates this section is guilty of having weapons while under disability, a felony of the third degree..."
Here’s the revised code the warrant referred to:
“2923.13 Having weapons while under disability. (5) The person is under adjudication of mental incompetence, has been adjudicated as a mental defective, has been committed to a mental institution, has been found by a court to be a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order, or is an involuntary patient other than one who is a patient only for purposes of observation. As used in this division, “mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order” and “patient” have the same meanings as in section 5122.01 of the Revised Code.”
The deputies confiscated one .45 caliber pistol, one .380 caliber pistol, a 12 gauge shotgun, two AR-15 rifles, and a stripped AR-15 lower receiver. My friend was able to see what the deputy/detective wrote on the evidence list regarding the firearm descriptions. The shotgun was listed as a “hunting shotgun,” the pistols were listed by their caliber, and the two ARs were listed as “tactical assault rifles.” What was even more strange is the detective then listed all the accessories on the ARs, including red dot sights, laser sights, foregrips, 30 round magazines, etc. It should also be stated one of those ARs was his fiancée’s, and the deputies claimed it was shared ownership and therefore had to be confiscated. A hunting knife was also confiscated. No magazines or ammunition were confiscated. In addition to the confiscations, the deputies attempted to question my friend and his fiancée. I didn’t get specific details on the questions asked. They refused to answer any questions without an attorney present. When my friend stated, “This is bullshit,” one of the deputy detectives remarked, “Look man, I’m just doing my job.” The icing on the police-state-cake was a notice to appear before a judge for “an evaluation of mental competency.” The judge will decide if he has to see a state psych. Keep in mind, too, if during the time between now and the judge’s decision, another search warrant could be executed. If they find any “deadly weapons” in his house, he’ll be charged with a FELONY and arrested. Ohio revised code is extremely vague on the definition of a “deadly weapon,” maybe intentionally so. Like Brandon Raub, there were no criminal charges, no suspicions of criminal activity. Unlike Brandon Raub’s case, however, the state of Ohio won’t allow law enforcement to involuntarily commit a person unless there is an immediate need to do so, such as holding a gun to their head or another person’s head. Ohio law requires a judge to make the decision on having a person evaluated for mental illness. Of course, you’re then evaluated by a state-appointed psych, and that isn’t exactly going to play out in your favor. Had my friend lived in Virginia, he may be sitting in a metal hospital (prison) right now. Or worse.
Steve- this man is an Army combat veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, a Christian working for a Christian company, his father is a pastor and a police officer, he has no criminal record aside from a speeding ticket many years ago, and no psychiatric problems, no PTSD, etc. He’s not on any medication. He and his fiancée have three children, and their wedding is in 30 days. Heck, he even quit smoking earlier this year until this assault on his freedom happened. He is an upstanding person with strong values and a good heart. This should not be happening, and yet it is. We know why he was raided, but we don’t know why he was raided, if you know what I mean. There is no indication of anybody filing a complaint against him, and no indication of who asked for the judge’s signature or why.
My friend does have a lawyer (after shelling out $2500…Thank God he and his fiancée have good jobs and live responsibly so they could have money saved up for an emergency. Of course, that money was earmarked for prep items like food, clothing for their kids, etc.) The lawyer will be filing motions tomorrow. I told him to keep on his lawyer and to be extremely aggressive with discovery- find out how far up these orders came from, because I can assure this wasn’t a local operation. He has only lived in the county for five weeks! When I hung up with my friend at around 21:30, I told him to be safe and that we’d be praying for him.
[TWG: Well, it seems not ALL of our justices are Obama-loving fascists. Glad they released this man, but please don't forget what they've done. This is not over, by a long shot. Keep a VERY close eye on your State legislature as they try to manipulate the local laws that stopped them in this particular case.. You can bet the vermin are very busy today trying to figure out a way they can do this to us all and get away with it. You can read my previous post about this HERE The Honorable Judge in this case should be thanked, and those responsible for putting this brave and honorable Veteran Marine in this situation should be punished. By the way...... this is precisely one of the reasons why I deleted my fakebook account. Not only did they receive "stimulus money" from the Marxist regime, they've aligned themselves with them and have managed to change privacy policies in order to enable this sort of thing. Zuckerman and the facebook corporation are in bed with the enemies of this Nation. They've got a debt to pay for all that "stimulus money" they stuffed into their pockets.]
A former Marine who was forced into a psychiatric ward for anti-government Facebook postings has been freed from the hospital by a Virginia circuit court ruling handed down Thursday.Judge Allan Sharrett dismissed the case against Brandon Raub, 26, who had been detained by government officials in Richmond, Va., and transferred to a VA hospital in Salem, Va. The judge called the petition to continue Raub’s forced detention “so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy.”John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, the civil rights firm that defended Mr. Raub, called the verdict pleasant surprise to a “bizarre” case that seemed more in line with a police state than free America.
