[lauraura]

It's been really depressing to see so many reactions to the shooting phrased in that way -- that the problem is mental illness or bad care of the mentally ill. Mentally ill people are already stigmatized enough as-is, despite the fact that they're far more likely to be murdered than to be murderers.

People are already suggesting that the mentally ill be added to registries, much like the already-flawed sex offender registry. This isn't going to make life any better for the mentally ill, and certainly won't make anyone safer. It'll just make mental illness even more of a black mark on someone's record -- imagine being diagnosed for depression or autism once and never being able to hold a proper job again. People will be even more deathly afraid of being properly diagnosed and cared for, not the inverse.