WHY NOT NOW?

OUR TEXAS GOVERNOR’S RECENT PUBLIC RECOMMENDATION FOR MORE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IS ONLY A PARTIAL SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM OF VIOLENCE AND MASS MURDERS, BUT IT IS A GOOD START.

Our governor is absolutely right in that we need more mental health services to reduce mass murders and violence.?I know from my direct experience that mental health services can help.?So, why is it that Texas ranks last among the 50 states in mental health care according to a recent Forbes study??Why is it that we have been cutting mental health funding and mental health services??Rather puzzling contradiction to me.

In my private practice as a psychologist, I was frequently asked to evaluate a person who had committed an act of violence to determine their future potential for lethality. ?I learned that those who commit acts of violence such as mass murders have a long history of warning signs.?While we may be surprised and blindsided when someone commits a violent atrocity, in most cases if we investigate their history proneness to violence it had been present for a considerable length of time.?We just missed warning signs. ?Mental health professionals can help identify violence tendencies and can help reduce these inclinations through counseling and education.

Nevertheless, since we continue to allow those disposed to violence, easy access to guns of mass destruction and remain indifferent to threatening hate speech from certain media networks and the internet, and passively tolerate racists hate groups, we are going need considerably more mental health care services.?

Will our governor and state legislatures step up? ?They have my full support if they decide that NOW is the time to take decisive actions to counter the terrible violence in our state.?If the will, compassion and caring is there it will get done.?No more excuses, rationalizations, spins, or avoiding responsibilities!?Legislatures you have the resources and overwhelming public support.