General Chat

how disturbed was i to hear that a man innocently riding his bike in richmond park was stabbed to death by a man under pychiatric care.he was picked at random and his life just taken away by someone that didn't know him or his name or who he was.there have been similar incidents involving care in the community patients where they have been put into society only to kill when out.jonathon zito was a prime example of failings in the care in the community.he was killed in a london underground when waiting for a train.he was picked at random and stabbed in the eye which killed him outright.the people who have mental illnesses and who are a threat to society should be sectioned for life.what do you think?xx9:

But it's cheaper if we let them live in society! Do you think that that's the reason it happens?

I Strongly disagree with you . To be sectioned for life? NO . This is an ILLNESS . Should we lock away ILL people ? NO That would be going back to the dark ages. we need to go forward. Its the CURE we need to look at and what action can be made in order for this not to happen again. Much happiness Debi

Sorry Deborah, with all best intentions.....if they are psychotic....at present there doesnt seem to be a reliable alternative..........there are at least two families that would disagree, with you..........Bob

If someone was suffering from the Plague they would be kept in an Isolation Ward. The safety of the Community has to take preference over the Personal Liberties of someone who is a threat to that.

We as a society are too quick to lable people, and once labled then prejudice rears its ugly head. The vast majorty of murderers have not been sectioned first. I agree that the innocent should be protected and that should be a priority and sad to say how many of us see very young children playing in the street, parks etc unsupervised regardless of any dangers. Pat x

Sectioned for life ? No. But there must be better checking of patients before they are released - this sort of thing should NOT happen.

Where I live, we used to have a few mental hospitals round here. Recently in the last few years they have all gone and are now housing estates. The thing that puzzles me is:- the country is getting bigger but there is less and less facilities to cope with the mentally ill. People are being threatened everyday and it frightens the pants off me. Jo.

You most certainly don't want to be knickerless if there's "care in the community" people around lol

The closure of so many psychiatric hospitals in favour of care in the community was based on an ill conceived theory that psychiatric patients would be better served by being allowed a 'normal' life whilst receiving treatment for their problems. Perhaps some do benefit but I would guess that these for the most part are those with a support network of friends or family around who are able to monitor their behaviour, ensure that medication is taken and out patient appointments kept. There are many more who do not have these benefits yet they are expected to manage in a world that they cannot cope with.There are not enough resources available to monitor these people and so these awful tragedies happen. Our prisons are full of people who would be better served by being in a psychiatric hospital but there are no places for those other than the most disturbed. Where's the sense in that and where are savings being made? (let's not kid ourselves that care in the community was not a cost cutting exercise). Prison officers are not trained to deal with psychiatric problems yet they are expected to deal with them on a daily basis. Surely it doesn't cost any more to keep a psychiatric care unit open than it does to imprison those who would benefit from it's care? Nobody wants to go back to the past where people were locked up for simply not conforming to the society of the day's idea of acceptable behaviour. It's not that long ago that unmarried mothers were sectioned simply because they were considered clinically mad to have given birth to a child out of wedlock! That said, there is certainly a case to be made for the return of psychiatric hospitals and the care and control of psychiatric patients. Sectioning is not a life sentence but a tool that the authorities may use to ensure that mentally ill people receive treatment. If that treatment is successful then there is no reason why those patients should not be returned to society but I would suggest that any release should depend on behaviours exhibited without medication and that failure to keep out patient appointments would result in a further section order being made. Mags

my mum is a sicsophenic & she wouldnt hurt a fly so not all mentally ill people are this same

I live not far from Richmond park and today my son asked if we could go to ride our bikes which we do on sundays and i said no, why because they have opened the park without even finding the murder weapon

debbie it's alright saying their ill i understand that but to what cost are they allowed to live in society when they go round killing innocent people.

Hi Margaret, Sorry, you misunderstand me. My comment is purely in answer to Deborah's comment that we wouldn't lock up ill people. If they had an illness which threatened Society, such as the Plague, of course they would be isolated. The same applies if someone's mental illness causes them to be a danger to themselves or others. I do not tar all people with a mental illness with the same brush, in fact I am a Trustee of one of the biggest Charities in the area which assists those in need, including those with mental illnesses to live safely in the Community.

margeret people cannot be watched twenty four hours a day.they are failing to take their medication which means that they can walk the streets and randomly kill people.

Did you all see the murder of the two sisters in the Selby Area ? (scarface) Do you know that he stabbed someone about two years back in Selby town centre ? He was released on community service. Sorry these people need removing. Bob

I think we all recognise that for the purposes of this discussion we are only talking about those people displaying psychotic and sociopathic behaviour, who are a danger to themselves and others, being confined for treatment. There are many mental illnesses where the sufferer represents no danger to society, we are aware of that and I don't think anyone here is advocating that we should lock all sufferers of mental illness up. Mags

Linda - I too have suffered with depression - 3 years worth ! Just to give you a little support - you will come out of it-honest! No-one can tell you how long these things take but eventually you will start to feel better and more able to cope. You will be able to reduce your medication but please do it slowly and at a pace you are happy with. There is no point in coming off too quickly and getting ill again. With best wishes Magsxx

Unfortunately the NHS is selling so many hospitals that deal with this area that people with mental illness are put out without a care!! I do not agree in sectioning people for life but i do agree that if someone is a danger to themselves and others then they should be sectioned temporarily until a cure can be found or medicine supplied to ensure they are safe!!

help should be given where needed. there are different degrees of mental illness and those who would endanger themselves or others need a lot of supervision. they can't be trusted on their own. a good few years back a friend of mine was nearly beaten to death by a guy who had been let out of a mental hospital. not only where his injuries horrific he has suffered other effects. he was out one new years eve when a guy approached him and asked the time. my friend told him and went on his merry way. he turned round a few minutes later to find the guy following him. so he started to run and so did the other guy. it was icy and he couldn't get any speed up. he ran and hid behind a garden wall. he thought he'd got away when he was knocked unconsious. he awoke to find himself in a house with a woman trying to tend to his injuries. his head was bleeding so badly that his eyelids were stuck down with blood. when he did get them open the guy who attacked him was in the house also. he was telling the woman that he'd found my friend injured. my friend was terrified. he thought it was a nightmare he was having. the guy had nicked his watch and money. he was left with severe head injuries and broken ribs. it took him a long time to recover from his head injuries. then he found out that the guy was a patient from the mental hospital who had been let out after an assessment to see if he should be allowed in the community. absolutely unreal!