Gov. Scott Walker recently announced plans to propose a $29 million increase to mental health services in the state. Of the $29 million, $10.2 million would go toward expanding community-based care programs for individuals with severe mental illnesses and $12.5 million would fund two new treatment units at Mendota Health Institute. While Walker said the proposal is not solely intended for public safety purposes, discussions surrounding mental health began in response to recent mass shootings nationwide.
In general, we believe this bill will benefit Wisconsin citizens. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, nearly 190,000 adults in Wisconsin live with mental illnesses. Providing them access to treatment not only offers an opportunity to improve public safety, but also address issues tied to mental illness such as homelessness and substance abuse. Components of the proposal that would increase services for children are beneficial for intervening at a young age and teaching individuals how to successfully manage living with their illness early on.
However, we fear this legislation will become an excuse to avoid addressing gun control issues in the state. While gunmen in some highly publicized shootings, such as at Sandy Hook Elementary School, had histories of mental illness, most gun crimes are not committed by individuals on the edge of being institutionalized. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that between 2006 and 2010, 47,856 people were killed by firearms in the United States. Mentally ill individuals committed fewer than five percent of these crimes, the Institute of Medicine found.
So while mass shootings draw attention to the issue of gun violence, mental illness should not be used as a scapegoat for having the necessary conversations about gun control. Individuals struggling with mental illness are much more likely to be the victims of violent crimes than the perpetrators, and simply focusing on improving mental health as a means of solving gun issues unfairly places all blame on these individuals. More steps need to be taken to prevent gun violence in the situations it typically occurs in—most involving individuals not considered to be mentally ill.
Further, if the money funneled into mental health initiatives is to be of any use, our society needs to work to reduce the stigma it currently places on mental illness. The media constantly bombards us with depictions of mentally ill individuals as violent, so we have come to understand that being mentally ill is equivalent to being dangerous. As a society, we have to accept that this is not the case. If we expect individuals struggling with their mental health to seek treatment, we have to make them feel as if they will not be shunned or feared once they admit they are mentally ill.
Proposals such as this, that imply that mental illness and gun violence are linked, do not help to reduce this stereotype. While this plan has the potential to provide needed aid to individuals struggling with their mental health, the resources it creates will be underutilized if people are afraid to admit they need help out of fear of being scrutinized.
So alone, this proposal has the potential to benefit some. Some people will likely seek the help they need, and it could even prevent someone battling with mental illness from doing harm to him or herself or others. We could see some results. Some. Coupled with new gun control policies and an altered way of perceiving people with mental illness, however, Wisconsin could truly have the potential to improve public safety and the mental health of its citizens.
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