Cory Morgan: Tumbler Ridge Tragedy a Stark Reminder to Take Mental Illness Treatment Seriously

Commentary

As the shock over the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge wears off, the political responses begin as people try to understand what happened and what could have prevented it. Unfortunately, views are being distorted by ideology, and knee-jerk, unproductive reactions abound.

The commonality that applies to all mass murder cases is mental health. Nobody will choose to go on a killing rampage unless they suffer extreme derangement. If we want to look at events with prevention in mind, we must begin there.

That’s not to say there aren’t some valid points of concern being pointed out by people on both the left and right sides of the political spectrum.

On the firearm front, the RCMP reported that firearms had been removed from Van Rootselaar’s household and were later returned after the owner petitioned to get them back. It appears that the firearms were owned by his mother, which complicates things. The rights of firearm owners to their property must be protected, but what about when they are in a household where somebody who has been identified as dangerous resides?

Van Rootselaar may have acquired firearms another way, even if his mother didn’t have them in the household. Is there room to tighten regulations when it comes to firearms in households with potentially dangerous people? Law-abiding firearm owners typically don’t oppose restricting access to firearms for people with criminal histories or mental health issues.

On the trans issue, statistics do indicate that trans people have a higher likelihood of becoming mass shooters, and that factor shouldn’t be ignored. It’s not being insensitive to point that out any more than it is to note that males are far more likely than females to become mass shooters. In all cases, it’s only a tiny minority who choose to kill, but we must look with an unvarnished eye when trying to find ways to prevent such tragedies where possible.

Going back to mental health, how many people who identify as trans are suffering from other mental illnesses and are trying to change their gender identity as a form of seeking attention or just changing who they are? Identifying as being transgender or nonbinary has become a trendy thing for young people. There are people truly suffering from gender dysphoria, and there always have been. They were never in the numbers seen today, however, and it wasn’t a passing phase for them as it is with many of today’s trans kids.

Every generation has a fad for youth who are having a hard time adjusting. Kids who shaved and dyed their hair as punk rockers, may later have worn dark makeup and became goths, who later became emo kids, who finally became trans. Most go through those phases without harm and grow out of them. For some, though, it can be a marker for deeper psychological issues that must be addressed.

Jesse Van Rootselaar was known to police and had been apprehended for assessment and follow-up under the Mental Health Act multiple times. It was clear he was seriously disturbed, but the system was incapable of intervening long enough or effectively enough to prevent him from committing mass murder. Perhaps in his case there was nothing that could have been done, but we must study this and try to prevent future failures.

Mental health treatment fell by the wayside as a trend of deinstitutionalization shut down facilities for decades throughout North America. When circumstances become untenable, families and those who are mentally ill quickly discover that small, overloaded mental health units in general hospitals are the only resource. Patients are often quickly diagnosed, offered a prescription for antipsychotic medication, and discharged due to lack of space, with the hope they don’t harm themselves or others. We must expand our mental health services for both inpatient and outpatient needs, particularly when youth are exhibiting symptoms.

As with any illness, mental health issues can be most effectively treated when diagnosed quickly. We would never toss a person with broken limbs from a hospital to treat themselves on their own, yet that’s what’s happening with many people who are mentally ill.

Society has made strides in reducing the stigma attached to mental illness, and people are speaking frankly about it more. Now, though, we must speak frankly about the need to expand treatment options, even when it may mean institutionalization against the will of the patient. It isn’t a matter of punishing a person for being mentally ill, but one of protecting the person and others until they can be treated, if possible.

We will never catch every case or prevent every potential murder or suicide committed by a mentally ill person. But we will surely miss many if we don’t invest more into early intervention and treatment for mental illness. Far too many people are falling through the cracks, leading to the most tragic of outcomes.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.