As anyone who has been attuned to the news lately will know, the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps has been making headlines for awhile. And what's the flight crash getting blamed on? Depression. There are statements that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, was being treated for depression, and as recently as the day of the crash, had received a doctor's note stating that he was unfit for work.
It's hard to tell right now what is actually the truth. Over the past few years, mental health issues have been blamed for many catastrophes around the world... when in reality, people who struggle with mental illnesses really aren't -- in general -- extremely violent or hazardous people to be around. But according to some research done by the American Psychological Association, "In a study of crimes committed by people with serious mental disorders, only 7.5 percent were directly related to symptoms of mental illness" (p. 1, APA, 2014).
As an advocate for social justice, of course I want to know what the causes are for such horrible events and heinous crimes as the ones we've seen -- from the cop-killing and following hunt for Erin Frein that lasted for more than 7 weeks in Pennsylvania, to the reason(s) regarding why the Sandy Hook shootings happened, to the horrendous ISIS beheadings... the list could go on and on.
But at the same time, as an advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves... I don't want the media -- or the general public -- to settle for the easiest answer.
Andreas Lubitz may have had severe depression. But even if he did, the fact that he saw fit to kill himself and 149 other people cannot be generalized out to all people who have suffered with severe, debilitating depression. Depression does not equal homicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation? Yes. But even someone who is in the deepest, darkest, most hopeless place that a human can be does not justify killing 149 people along with him or her. Suicide is something that is usually carried out in private, if it occurs due to depression and not another reason (or co-occurring reason).
Do I know Andreas Lubitz? No. Had I even heard of him prior to the Germanwings flight crash? No.
But I do know depression. I know what it can drive a person to do... but I also know what depression does not cause.
I don't pretend to know what Lubitz struggled with. I don't pretend to know him or his life. But as a shout-out to all of those people who have lived (and died) with depression... I want to apologize. Apologize that the media is basically saying that people with depression can be homicidal, can be mass murderers. Apologize that the media is further stigmatizing people with mental illnesses. Apologize that depression is now being turned into this monster of an illness that can be linked to sociopathic tendencies.
Don't get me wrong. I know depression can be a monster of an illness. I know it can make you feel like you're worth less than a pile of dog crap. I know it can make you feel like death is the only way that you can relieve the pain you are in -- and that you feel like you are a burden to all those you are around. I know this, and more.
But what I'm getting at, I suppose, in a long-winded and round-about way, is that depression does not equal sociopathy.
Andreas Lubitz may have been suicidal. But his being suicidal is not the only reason that he decided what he did was an "okay" thing to do. Again, I am not a doctor, I never knew Lubitz... but this scares me regarding how this will impact people who suffer with mental illness. People already shy away from going for psychiatric evals even when they are suffering inordinately -- because of the stigma. If something as common here in the States as depression is becomes a synonym for sociopathy -- that concerns me. As a professional but also as a human being.
I hope that this has given you something to think about, even if I wrote it in a round-about, rather useless way (it's late and I'm tired, but I wanted to write this before I forgot my thoughts on the matter). I may come back tomorrow and revise this, depending on if I manage to find a better way to express my thoughts.
Hugs to those who are suffering in silence tonight...
~Addison.
No comments:
Post a Comment