19 April 2007
There is a current media feeding frenzy over the events in Virgina. Heh. It is sometimes more fascinating observing how the media is 'digging' up new ill-considered angles and perspectives. There seems to be a minor hysteria amongst the media corps with regards to this event. Instructive. Very instructive.
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2 comments:
Yes, instructive but the situation could NOT be legally prevented due to the sensitivity of the mental health issue.
The disturbing behaviour of the student was made known to the Uni authority by one of the Professor prior to the incident a while bak but nothing was done partly due to the mental health regulation.
They could not ask/demand/force the student to go for counseling help without the student's consent, which in effect was a catch 22 situation especially for someone with mentally health problem.
The question remains as to how a mentally disturb person is aware of his need for help? I seriously doubt a person with mental health problem will go around "advertising" to the world that he has a mental health problem. Or if he is even aware his problem at all. As far as a person with mental health is concerned his logic prevails and it is the world that is irrational, as demonstrated in Virginia Tech.
The situation could not be prevented to say the truth until it happened and the only thing they could do was to minimize the damage that's all. Consider it lucky the student took his own life and did not carry on shooting or there would more killed.
The law on mental health needs to be seriously look again to prevent future occurrences.
d;-)
Yes, I read that. It appears that the institution's authorities were in a bind.
Like you have said, the situation could not have been prevented given the current laws and context. And even if there had been appropriate laws, according to a media report, it would have been difficult to assess due to the fact that there are often no common characteristics.
I see a lot of such anger, depression and somewhat similar characteristics to Cho (except mental problems) in D&D players and other emo kids in fringe groups previously but most of them grow up eventually and become responsible citizens.
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