Letter: The mentally ill are often stigmatized by society

Editor,

There is a fine line between right and wrong.

I believe Anne Rice's letter to the Daily Lobo regarding students' ignorance about mental illness makes a crude point that education and psychology are going to bring students to the light, which is not necessarily true. Compassion is hard to place in this situation - who do you have compassion for, the victims or the mentally ill person who violated the victims?

I have been stalked by someone who is mentally ill - a poor choice in dating, even if it was only two weeks that lasted for two years. My life was made hell because of this person, and it permanently affected me emotionally and mentally.

Now, I wouldn't claim that as my mental illness because of the huge stigma toward mental illness which psychology still doesn't have a firm grip on. I haven't had the most pristine childhood either, so would you call me high-functioning? Oh yeah, let's add the fact that one "illness" I may have is that I happen to be romantically - sexual doesn't encompass how I feel - attracted to those of my own gender. Should I be locked up?

I don't agree with Mario Hernandez's letter, which apparently has no background in knowledge about psychological illness and is ill-informed about John Hyde.

Maybe the accountability for Hyde's actions should fall on his mental health care provider who had been tweaking with something that didn't work. Then we are back at Robert Hyde's point, that it is hard to obtain quality mental health care. It is frightening how many people are mentally ill, need help and are unable to obtain it. A huge part of this is based on the stigma of being mentally ill. Not all mental illnesses are permanent, and some are deadly - think of those who commit suicide - while still others are funny, like Winona Ryder's kleptomania.

One point about mental institutions: Most are not low security as intimated by Hernandez - they don't do five-point restraints in high-security prisons. High-security correctional facilities and most mental institutions do have confinement cells, though. Most correctional facilities are for criminal reform. Why do they need to be reformed? Aberrant behavior is usually caused by mental illness.

I find the poorly written article on the UNM Police Department officer disturbing. Domestic dispute issues and mental health issues - like the said officer's suicidal ideation - are incredibly hard issues to cover. The article seemed to be written more for flash than quality of content. It is appalling that it covers only a midpoint of dispute and then picks up on his threatening to kill himself. The entire piece is too short for what it included or could have been shorter, and just included facts pertinent to the UNM community.

It is obvious that mental health issues are prevalent everywhere. I hope everyone takes the chance to educate themselves.

Justin Mark Stewart

UNM student