[daniwong]

I used to work for a university and we had to deal with mental health issues within the university as well as with public health officials and the police department. I've also worked with the police department on mental health issues.

I can't remember who just wrote about the grey area (and kudos to you for pointing this out) but in dealing with both the university system as well as the police department - the mental health system and process is one HUGE grey area.

For instance - (yes - psychology major - specifically abnormal psychology) - most of the time skitzophrenia develops in the early 20's when people are in college. In my college years - 5 1/2 - I had to attend commitment proceedings on 12 different students as they were skitzophrenic and were harmful to themselves as well as to others. The issue is with most of these students is that they are aldults so you can't get the parents involved to assist with the help they so desperately need. The other issue that we came up across - and this has been mentioned in the news media - is that a lot of these kids were asian. (I'm chinese FYI) One of the psychologists that I've worked with and for find different cultures views of mental illness some of the hardest things to overcome.

The issue on doing something - if you notice something that just doesn't seem right - ask someone (aka care) if they are ok. If the response just seems off - discuss it with a crisis line, or in a university setting - a counselor, your dorm director - someone. So many people out there need help and don't know where to get it.

Does this excuse anything that happend this week. Absolutely not. But it does show some insight into it. In all - it is tragic and I truly feel for those victims.

*and something else that completely bothers me - I was watching the interviews with his former roomates and they were sitting there smiling during most of the interview. Not sure if they were just smiling for the camera or what - but it really just rubbed me the wrong way*

FLAME ON!