COMMENT POSTED TO A COLUMN BY MARY O’HARA IN THE GUARDIAN
"Why is mental
illness so often blamed for US mass shootings? It perpetuates ugly stereotypes
and distracts us..."
All murderers have some kind of mental disorder, stretching
over a spectrum from the temporary insanity of extreme rage to the extreme case
of enjoying killing we find in psychopaths.
The word "stereotype" has no place here.
People however use the completely wrong words, often.
Language usage here is very important.
Indeed, I don't think the term "mental illness" is
really suitable since that includes many conditions which do not make people
prone to violence at all.
