NAMI National News

The Arizona Tragedy and Mental Health Care

Statement by
Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director,
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

NAMI is an organization of individuals and families whose lives have been deeply affected by mental illness.

Michael J. Fitzpatrick imageWe share the sadness of other Americans over the Tucson, Arizona tragedy and extend our sympathy to the families of the six individuals who died. We pray for the recovery of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the 13 other persons who were wounded.

Representative Giffords is a NAMI friend who has served as co-chair of the NAMIWalk in Southeast Arizona and has supported our missions of education, support and advocacy.

When tragedies involving mental illness occur, it is essential to understand the nature of mental illness—and to find out what went wrong.

The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that the likelihood of violence from people with mental illness is low. In fact, "the overall contribution of mental disorders to the total level of violence in society is exceptionally small." Acts of violence are exceptional. They are a sign that something has gone terribly wrong, usually in the mental healthcare system.

Nationwide, the mental health care system is broken. Arizona, like other states, has deeply cut mental health services. Arizona has a broad civil commitment law to require treatment if it is needed; however, the law cannot work if an evaluation is never conducted or mental health services are not available.

A note from NAMI Ohio -

Tragedies such as this and the one that occurred here in Ohio last week that left one police officer dead and another injured, are going to continue to occur until we take significant steps to develop a community support system that adequately responds to and monitors ill individuals such as those who perpetrated these horrendous acts.

In the weeks to come, NAMI Ohio will be asking for your help in raising awareness about needed changes in the way Ohio responds to the needs of individuals with serious and persistent mental illness.

In the meantime, we are calling on all of our members from around the state to respond to these terrible tragedies by reaching into your own communities and offering help and support to those who are hurting as a result of an untreated mental illness. No one understands how difficult that can be better than a NAMI member. Please seek out someone in your school, your workplace, or your house of worship who is struggling with a mental illness and let them know that you care.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved in these terrible tragedies.