Ya think?
From: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/not-di...ght-4B11186594
There’s no way to know whether Alexis heard voices that said derogatory things about him or instructed him to commit violence.
“The most pernicious type of hallucination and the one that’s the biggest risk factor is the so-called ‘command hallucinations’ that tell you to do something,” Lieberman said. “Once they become strong enough, they can’t distinguish these as external fabrications, they are under the influence of the voices.”
Such hallucinations can be resistant to treatment with anti-psychotic drugs and with counseling, experts say.
As more details emerge about Alexis, Lieberman said he was concerned that the shooting renews worries for people with mental illness and once again raises questions about how society treats disorders.
“I think it immediately arouses fears and enhances stigma about people with mental illness, that they’re psychotic killers and wackos running amok,” Lieberman said. “It’s unfortunate.”
Instead, there needs to be more focus on diagnosis and treatment of people with psychiatric disorders, a call that seems to be raised routinely after tragedies such as Monday’s shooting – and the attack in Newtown, Conn., last December.
“We remain unaware, uniformed and fearful of what disturbances in brain function can lead to,” Lieberman said. “Everyone talks about it and nobody does anything about it."