Psychiatry has come a long way since when mental illness was considered evil, and that the patients had demons within them. So many break throughs have happened in the last 50 years..., and to call people with mental illness evil... is a throwback to the past. I am not saying, that the acts they do under the delusions are not evil, but we need to change the perspective of patients who are mental ill, and do acts of violence to others or themselves…, they are not evil.., only the acts are. When a child does something bad…, do we not realize that they are children and do not have all the mental capabilities to distinguish what they are doing is wrong…, the same can be said with people with mental illness.
I realize that some people who have mental illness cannot be cured..., and need to be locked up for the protection of other people and themselves.
Mental illness is a sickness, just like other sicknesses, and is a sickness that affects ones mind.
Signed,
Mother of a son with schizophrenia.

i am only 20 and i know if someone really has a mental illness, it is just like any illness out there it has to be medicated monitored and it is a day by day struggle.It by no means a "evil" matter.
I believe what they mean when they point the finger at the killer's mental illness is that it is a possible factor to the crime that was commmited and its severity.With mental illnesses it does cause irrational and impulsive behavior at times.
Evil...no not always but there are some individuals who CANNOT be helped sometimes its just too delusional just too severe and they have to be placed in a "safe enviorment" to protect them selves and others (the term "locked up" seems too harsh they didnt wish the mental illness on themselves).
The problem is its so steriotypical now that if a person has been known to have a mental illness it is automaticlly frowned upon and people are very sidious around them.they say and do things that are hurtful because people are most scared of what they know little or nothing about.It would really help matters if the general public was more educated about mental illnesses.
Signed,
Someone who has type 1
Bipolar disorder

I am glad I came across this site for board posting. The postings I have read have been very interesting because it allows me to see another persons perspective as another person who has bi polar and a mother who has a son with schizophrenia. I have battled with bi polar for about 20 years. I was diagnosed when I was about ten. My mother worked for some psychologists and I was being tested for IQ purposes regarding the entrance into a gifted program. My mother mentioned to one of the doctors there that experienced severe mood swings and often would withdraw and speak to no one for days. I was put in the gifted class in which there were three other students who had some sort of mental illness. I was different from the other two in that I basically required no interaction or acceptance from the group. The spree killer show made me think about that because I have never cared about being picked or not. When I went to college I was seen as a little different by most of the students in my classes and seldom did I get picked as a partner. The professor was afraid I would be hurt and was oing to make people work with me anyway, she said she would make the groups from now on. But I told her it did not bother me and I would rather work alone anyway. My point is that in any given situation such as a class where partners or groups were picked, I told the leader or professor I would rather work alone. It is clear to me now in the working world that I do not work well with others. So I understand much of what other people talk about
especially saleigh844. It is not easy to work through everyday things at times. Even with medication I cannot be "level" all the time. Like daubee with her son, I myself experience schizophrenia symptons for a long time. In fact that was the doctor's first thought because I was so distant and withdrawn. I am sorry I have gone on a bit but I was just glad I saw two people right away who seemed to know first hand about these experiences and how the world treats and thinks about people with mental illness

This is a good thread, many Americans and people all over the world misunderstand the difference between psychopathy and mental illness, (i.e. bi polar, schizophrenia, etc.), often even confusing the words psychopathy with psychosis. Psychopathy is simply a person who lacks remorse, like a sociopath and/or an immoral and anti-social individual. Mental illness can sometimes be described as psychosis, like scizophrenia for example, which is a debilitating brain disease that actually destroys brain cells, leaving the striken individual with a 25% plus reduction in grey matter over as little as five years; and bipolar a chemical imbalance. Sociopaths brains may function differently than "normal" people, but it's just NOT the same as a person with mental illness. I too suffer from a severe bi polar disorder, but take my medication as prescribed and maintain an fairly healthy emotional balance between that and regualr therapy. We are normal people who don't want to be frowned upon or treated like we're "crazy", (I hate that word!!), or treated any differently than "normal" folk.

One more important fact to mention, it is entirely possible for a psychopath to suffer from mental illness, and does happen, but many psychopaths, even many serial killers do NOT suffer from mental illness and are just plain sociopaths. At the same time, many, many people with mental illness are not psychopths, and should not be confused with someone who lacks morals or remorse.