Lawmaker calls for briefing on mental health danger signs

[cal04]

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/other/137325-arizona-shooting-sparks-capitol-hill-debate-on-mental-health-safety

A leading lawmaker on mental health issues is calling for a bipartisan debate on how to keep lawmakers and their staff and families safe in the wake of Saturday's deadly shooting in Tucson.

Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, along with Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Penn.), wants the group to hold a briefing focusing on the behaviors and threats that raise red flags.

"Police agencies already do that," Napolitano told The Hill. "I want to make sure some of our employees — those that are interested — are able to at least benefit from some kind of information that almost everybody else in law enforcement knows about."

(snip)
"My family members and other folks from my area are concerned about safety," Napolitano said. "They're asking: Are you OK? Have you had any similar things happen to you? Well, we always hear things, whether directly or indirectly. You tend to ignore them, but how do we define what we can ignore and what we need to take seriously?"

[uppityperson]

1. What about those who were shot or killed who weren't lawmakers?

[Riftaxe]

4. Apparently considered non Persons

to the political types in the article and people such as Rep. Robert Brady (who has suggested his own, http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/09/shooting-prompts-legislation-to-protect-lawmakers-officials/">"protect our own" legislation)

[Kingofalldems]

5. Looks like an attack on a Democrat--he said nothing derogatory

about the shooter. However he did call out Palin for her rhetoric. Very familiar.

[woo me with science]

2. Be very careful here, folks.

Not saying it's not important to identify the dangerous, but be EXTREMELY careful what powers you hand your government here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x154953

[LiberalEsto]

3. We need a national briefing

on how to recognize symptoms of mental illness
and where people can turn for help

but first CREATE places where people can go for help form themselves or family members and actually GET help.