World Mental Health Day (Oct 10th) comes on the heels of a violent attack in Las Vegas which left 59 dead and over 500 injured. As with other shootings, the public’s response is to point at guns and mental illness – and while it remains divided on the issue of guns, the relative agreement on the threat of mental illness is worrying.
The American public has always seemed to lack an understanding of mental illness. Most people know the common names and defining symptoms of a few illnesses (usually bipolar, schizophrenia, and depression), but have no real understanding of what these illnesses entail. Continue reading