My father was a paranoid schizophrenic who suffered from auditory hallucinations. His worst psychotic break came one day when he broke a heavy beer mug in the kitchen sink and attacked my step-mother from behind, stabbing at her face with the bottom of that broken mug. He was trying to gouge out her eyes because he had been told to do so by the voices in his head. Fortunately for my dear step-mother, the first slash of the mug against her face severed the nerves so she felt no pain while he exacted his carnage. She ended up having over 750 stitches in her face and underwent multiple surgeries. My father then went to the basement, ratcheted up the temperature on the hot water heater, and then proceeded to the bathroom where he was trying to scrub the "filth of her blood" from his hands. He ended up burning his hands almost to the bone.
She never blamed my father for his actions. She knew that he was sick. The whole family knew, and we had made numerous futile attempts to have him committed. Unfortunately, because of the laws in the state where this occurred, they refused to admit him until he had either harmed himself or someone else. After the attack on my step-mother, he spent the next 15 years in and out of the state hospital before finally committing suicide by diving head first out of a 3rd story window onto a concrete driveway.
I am only too aware of how this and other mental illnesses not only affects a family (my sister was an undiagnosed/untreated schizophrenic who also committed suicide), but I also am painfully aware of how it is perceived by the general public.
I am horrified by what this woman did to this little baby--just as I was horrified by what my own father did to my step-mother--but she should not be held responsible for her actions during a psychotic break from reality.
I am deeply disturbed by the comments that state that this woman should be put to death. Mental illness is just like any other illness--it needs to be treated with medication. Would those of you who think she should be put to death also put to death someone who has cancer, or liver disease, or even something such as heart disease? Each of these diseases is cause by a defect in the human body--as is mental illness.
If the answer to that question, is "no," then how can you make such a distinction between mental illness and any other type of illness?
What would you do if one of your famly members suffered from mental illness? Put them to death?
Cleo thank you for sharing your experience. I appreciate it very much as I was reading this thread and was forming my own response in my mind as I read.
I have shared in a thread in our private forums of my experience of cleaning up after a loved one's death. That family member was my Biological Father. He was diagnosed at the age of 19 with Paranoid Schizophrenia. He was found dead in an unairconditoned trailer out on a rural plot of land many weeks after his death.
I am gently suggesting that anyone that is unfamiliar with that subtype of schizophrenia to please read up on it.
It is pervasive and it is a lifelong illness. There isn't a magic pill to cure this mental disease. There are treatments but the meds come at a high price to be paid by the patient. They don't always work, and many times they may only work for a period of time and then the patient will have a breakthrough of the illness.
It not only effects the person diagnosed with it but it also impacts their family. It's a horrific disease that robs those with family members diagnosed with the illness of even basic relationships. It is a disease that ravages the family as well as the patient.
I understand the level of horror and shock at what this Mother did to her son Scott. I really do. I also understand that she is mentally ill and there is a chance that she might have been in the subtype of schizophrenia I outlined above. I don't know.
What I do know is that I am quite disturbed at the suggestion that profoundly mentally ill people should be put to death.
I can't help but be personally offended given my own life experiences. I do know that no one here would be intentionally hurtful to me though.
I will close by saying that I am very sorry to this family that they had this tragedy in their life, and lost this child to such horrifying circumstances. I think we need to keep in mind when we allow the state or federal gov. to mandate who can procreate, who can be a parent, we are opening the door not only to have a small ratio of our population with limited rights but we open the door to have the same state and fed. gov. to take away our freedoms too. There is no easy answer, but this woman needs to be in a treatment facility for the rest of her life, not executed.
Just my very long but humble opinion, thanks to anyone that took the time to read it.
