Sen. Rand Paul, the ophthalmologist, has diagnosed Loughner...

[cynatnite]

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that, based on Internet writings attributed to a 22-year-old accused of shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), he believes Jared Lee Loughner is a paranoid schizophrenic.

Paul has a medical degree from Duke University. However, he was trained as an ophthalmologist and not a psychiatrist. Paranoid schizophrenia is a mental disorder.

“I looked at some of the writings of this young man, and from a medical point of view there’s a lot to suggest paranoid schizophrenia and a really sick individual,” Paul said on “Fox News Sunday.”

http://www.rollcall.com/news/-202246-1.html

[baldguy]

1. Takes one to know one, I guess.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. Maybe he attended the Bill Frist School of TV-aided Diagnosis

Asshat.

[jillan]

7. lol! Repubs are so good at that.

[LisaL]

3. In fairness he ain't the only one who suggested that diagnosis.

[stray cat]

4. I agree he is a sick individual and schizophrenia is possible and mds are trained

Generally prior to specializing

[cynatnite]

5. I've worked with A LOT of doctors...

I've never met one that is willing to diagnose a patient without examination. Most doctors I've seen on TV offer possibibles, but make a point of saying that it's not definitive.

A lot of tests are needed in order to say it's schizophrenia. The only correct thing Paul said was that Loughner was really sick.

[Ilsa]

6. In fairness, he may be correct, and he's hedged himself in his statement.

He can't make a diagnosis, but he can point out why he might consider or suggest a possible one. Personally, I don't think that is very ethical of him.

[RoccoR5955]

8. It takes one to know one! n/t

[eowyn_of_rohan]

9. Wonder what made him that way...

all his talk of mind control makes me wonder if HIS was controlled

[elleng]

10. Reasonable statement, imo: 'There's a lot to suggest paranoid schiz...'

[laconicsax]

11. Shouldn't that read, "non-certified ophthalmologist?"

[madinmaryland]

12. As someone with a medical degree, Rand Paul should not be making

medical diagnoses. If he wants to say it is his opinion that is fine, but when he uses the "medical POV" that is going down the same line that Frist went down.

[Ruby the Liberal]

13. Gets better: Google up his Ophthalmology certification source.

;)

[chowhound]

14. reminds me of teri schiavo

wasnt it bill frist who diagnosed teri from tv monitor

[PufPuf23]

15. Odd as I had diagnosed shooter as a Randian Libertarian gold bug.

By Randian I mean Ron Paul and Ayn Rand, that covers the Christian and Atheist spectrum of libertarian and a specific slice of conspiracy theory that was Bircher in the 60s and cryto-Jew in the 21st century.

Lared L. is a disturbed young person certainly situationally and likely genetically prone to mental extremes and deprressive nihilism.

The primary "gold bug" site of which I know on the intertubes is GoldisMoney. The site tends to rw guns/survival/Jesus/cryto-jews in charge /atheists/ conspiracy/self-preservation-liberation through gold, silver, platnimum group metals -- extremists of many types but most rw and considering themselves patriotic yet paranoid to various degrees.

I have been a member for years but made only 2 posts and check in on occasion but never could GIM be a place where I could comfortably post (DU is hard enough).

I doubt the shooter (I would say terrorist but that takes away from the fact that this was a crime seeded by political rhetoric but likely unconnected or with huge plausible deniability) ever posted at GIM or GIM2 (new management) but the mixed mindset of the forum feeds the alienated and paranoid.

GIM2 focused on Gold is Money, Ron Paul, survival/guns/god (albeit the atheists)/anti-government/ an element that is fixated on cryto-Jews / anti-Fed (redundancy) etc.

I follow the gold market and am more interested in the geology of the subject but what kept GIM on my bookmarks is to see the mindsets and that they are common in the USA. I agree the shooter is troubled but would add circumstances and a barrage of twisted media in his short life has triggered his worse.

I do not make any apology at all for the shooter as an individual but indict the media and politcal discourse that has a right wing not liberal bias.

I suggest DUers peruse GIM in context of the types of thoughts and thought processes that are common.


http://goldismoney2.com/showthread.php?12692-Uh-oh!-Congress-Woman-and-12-other-shot-dead

[emilyg]

16. He may be right.