Faculty Voices

In the wake of Sandy Hook, don't confuse mental illness with violence

The tragic mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, is both heartbreaking and disturbing. We all ache and share the trauma of this unthinkable event. In the shock and grief, we are filled with questions. Some questions seek facts – what happened? Some questions seek the Divine – where was God? Some questions seek understanding – why did this happen?

In times of such pain and uncertainty we want answers sooner rather than later. We hope that perhaps answers will provide a little balm for the soul wound we all feel. In our urgency to know, we run the risk of being satisfied with simple and incomplete answers.

Mental illness such as a personality disorder and neurocognitive disorders such as Aspergers Syndrome (an Autism Spectrum Disorder) have been discussed extensively in media accounts of the Sandy Hook tragedy. In less formal conversations about the shooter,  I have heard people default to saying, “He was crazy.” It is understandable to default to mental health conclusions in our urgency to find relief in answers to impossible questions, but we must also consider how these mental health social narratives impact the vast majority of people with mental illness or neurocognitive disorders who are not violent.

If we arrive at the simple conclusion that “he was crazy” or had a mental illness and go no further in our thinking or understanding, then what we have done is to situate anyone with a mental illness as potentially or likely dangerous. It will result in the social construction of stigma, creating an environment ripe for discrimination, dismissal and violence against people who fight daily against mental illness.

In order to help with the conversation about the intersection of violence and mental health, here are some facts:

• "…the vast majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses” (American Psychiatric Association, 1994)
• “People with mental illness are much more likely to be the victim of violence than the perpetrator.” (World Psychiatry. 2003 June; 2(2): 121–124)

In short, people who struggle against mental illness are not to be feared, but rather protected and advocated for. Here are a few tips on helping the conversation of mental health and violence.

• Avoid simple answers that serve only to soothe our own anxieties, but do little by way of helping.
• Put unhelpful words like “crazy” out of the social narratives of mass violence.
• Engage in activities, organizations and relationships in such a way that promotes the mental, emotional, social and spiritual health of yourself and everyone around you. 

Go home with gifts, not extra pounds

It’s way too easy to head home from a Christmas celebration with a few unwanted gifts you didn’t expect -- extra pounds from all the celebrating. But with a little self-discipline and a dose of creativity, anyone can fight off the holiday pounds.

Even if family commitments and Christmas parties throw off your exercise schedule, make time for 10-to-20 minute exercise sessions throughout the day or week. Get outside and rake some leaves or go for a quick walk around the neighborhood with the dog. Get out an old exercise video you haven’t used in a while. The key is make exercise FUN!

Here are some additional ways to make the holiday healthy from my co-workers in Lipscomb’s health sciences programs:

Fiscal cliff debate would benefit from a fresh approach to negotiation

Too bad the fiscal cliff isn't as scenic as this one.

Here we sit in the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown. America is entering the second term of the Obama administration and partisan gridlock seems more entrenched than ever before. The fiscal cliff sits threateningly on the horizon. In fact, in the middle of December, both parties seem no less entrenched in their positions than before the election. The Republican-controlled House is focused on stopping the perceived excesses of the Obama administration; the Democratic-controlled Senate feels more empowered to push its agenda while the president begins to think of his legacy. In light of these entrenched views, can across-the-board cuts and tax increases be avoided in January?

Of course it can. However, it will take a different kind of conversation and principled negotiation to move forward in the new Washington reality. Historically, Washington has been a place of competitive compromise. When a major decision loomed on the horizon, the different players would argue, accuse, threaten and pontificate until the 11^th hour, and then agreement would be reached. This approach of establishing positions and giving in as little as possible until the last minute worked when both parties were interested in dancing this dance. (Perhaps, it will happen like that again. But, in the current political environment, one wonders about the ability of these bodies to agree on legislation of this magnitude.)

Beginning with the Contract for America in the 1990s, new reality began to develop in D.C.  Ideologues began to be elected. At this moment, people are serving in both houses who were elected with the standard of “don’t give in.” For those on the right – “Don’t give in to big government and out of control spending.” For this group, the fiscal cliff can be avoided by cutting costs only. For those on the left – “Don’t give up the gains made in social justice and extending governmental services.” For this group, the primary way to address the economic problems is to raise taxes on the rich. In the meantime, the Government Accountability Office states that both tax increases and spending reductions are necessary to resolve our economic problems. Yet, compromise on principles seems weak and disingenuous to a segment of our political leaders.

But there is hope for a fresh start, but that fresh start will require a different commitment and spirit than exists today. Trent Lott, former majority leader of the Senate, said these politicians need to set aside their strongly held positions and “really learn how to listen to each other.” But it goes beyond listening. The two parties and the president must develop legislative recommendations based on consensus that takes shape through in-depth conversations. The president in particular will need to clarify his agenda, since he holds the strongest position of power in Washington at this moment, leaving room for the Republicans to make gains also. Upon this clarification by the president, an agenda should be set with a schedule for action that emanates from the White House. The president and his team must decide that drawing lines between themselves and the speaker of the House at university campuses won’t necessarily resolve the problem. Therefore, instead of attempting to force the competition into cooperation, the president must be ready to steer the conversation rather than dictate it.

However, Congress and the Senate will also need to step up to the plate. These Houses should stay in session and communicate with each other on a daily basis until a mutual plan is developed. The speaker of the House and majority leader of the Senate have to spend hours engaging each other in respectful dialogue until they are able to appreciate each others’ position and find ways to address each others’ interests.

In many ways, the House and Senate have abandoned their regular order of work and have depended too much on the media and party designates to communicate their messages. Both entities need to involve their committees and subcommittees in the hard work of hammering out legislation and quit depending on the top of the respective tickets to solve their problems for them. We all know that significant differences exist, but these differences require more communication, not less. Members of the House and Senate need to have conversations, mark up bills, confer with each other and eventually take final action by bringing both bodies together to vote on final passage and send it to the president to sign or veto. 

In this substantial fight, we have forgotten that democracy is a process and this process will save us. As Lott said, “Both parties need to remember that the goal is a better future for this country”…not for their respective parties.

I recently visited with a long-time congressman and asked him about a mutual acquaintance from a different political party who serves with him in Congress.  He replied, “He is a really nice guy and does some good work, but I think we can pick him off.”

We have a long way to go.

Please, trust the process of negotiation and compromise that have been the historical strengths of our two-party system.

Five ways to give yourself the gift of health this Christmas

Christmas is a time of non-stop fun, but all that fun can be pretty stressful sometimes. The best gift you may give this year is to stop and focus on your own health for a little while each day. A healthy, rested body will make the good times over Christmas even better!

Check out my list of five ways you can stay healthy and stress-free during the holidays, collected from Lipscomb’s health sciences faculty and staff:

A psychologist’s plan for enjoying a positive holiday season

I have the privilege (or some might say burden) to introduce graduate students aspiring to become counselors or psychologists to a myriad of psychological problems. As you can imagine, this is not the most uplifting class in their program of study. Week after week we focus on abnormality. We attempt to understand what keeps people from experiencing a meaningful and joyous life.

So I thought about focusing this blog on the numerous studies that discuss the increased incidence of depression, anxiety and other mood disorders during the holiday season. But then I was reminded that even though there is an increased incidence of mood disorders during this time, most of us are far more interested in learning ways to optimize this holiday time to
experience joy and fulfillment. I’m not the first one to realize this. Dr. Martin Seligman, a past American Psychological Association president and proponent of positive psychology, has spent years researching what works to improve people’s level of life satisfaction and meaning. Among his recommendations there is one that I believe could make this holiday season one to remember. It is called a gratitude visit. Here is what you need to do in Dr. Seligman’s words:\

1. Select one important person from your past who has made a major positive difference in your life and to whom you have never fully expressed your thanks. (Do not confound this selection with new-found romantic love, or with the possibility of a future gain.)
2. Write a testimonial just long enough to cover one laminated page. Take your time composing this; my students and I found ourselves taking several weeks, composing on buses and as we fell asleep at night.
3. Invite that person to your home, or travel to that person’s home. It is important you do this face to face, not just in writing or on the phone.
4. Do not tell the person the purpose of the visit in advance; a simple “I just want to see you” will suffice… but bring a laminated version of your testimonial with you as a gift.
5. When all settles down, read your testimonial aloud slowly, with expression, and with eye contact.
6. Then let the other person react unhurriedly. Reminisce together about the concrete events that make this person so important to you.

It is my hope that this simple but profound visit may change the way you experience your
holiday season.