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Original poster

To get the mumsnet Bandwagon to jump on this

40 replies

fairy1303 · 08/10/2013 20:44

Has anyone seen the Sun headline?

"1,200 killed by Mental patients"

I am disgusted - surely they can't be allowed to print this bullshit?

In light of the recent saga with ASDA and TESCOs, surely the sun have to apologise for this?

I normally don't give them the time of day but just can't believe they can print something like this.

anyway...

there is a Petition

Just sayin

OP posts:
itsazoohere · 08/10/2013 20:57

Signed.Just trying to work out how to share on Facebook.

itsazoohere · 08/10/2013 20:58

(And thank you for highlighting it)

Original poster
fairy1303 · 08/10/2013 21:05

Thanks - should point out that it's not my petition

Wish it was though!

I'm reeling, hate the sun at the best of times but this is just ridiculous

OP posts:
LaGuardia · 08/10/2013 21:25

So, you believe people who murder other humans are mentally healthy, then?

unfortunatedischarge · 08/10/2013 21:33

having a mental illness does nto make you a murder.

froken · 08/10/2013 21:35

But it is possibly/probably true. Maybe you should be petitioning for better mental health care.

Original poster
fairy1303 · 08/10/2013 21:37

LaGuardia -

People with a mental illness are statistically more likely to be victims of violent crime then they are to commit it.

Headlines like this just serve to perpetuate the myth that all people with a mental health problem are violent, dangerous psychopaths.

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 08/10/2013 21:39

People with mental health problems are a hell of a lot more likely to harm themselves than harm somebody else.

It's bloody awful that the Sun get away with printing this crap.

Pigsmummy · 08/10/2013 21:41

I won't be signing this. I am with Froken, if you want to be directing any anger/action then direct it towards better and preventative care, there are deaths caused by people suffering mental illness/psychosis. Are you denying this?

Pigsmummy · 08/10/2013 21:43

Has anyone got the source behind the stats? Or wish to disprove them?

morethanpotatoprints · 08/10/2013 21:49

Are all the 1200 killed by mental patients or by mental people, there's a difference.
How many are killed by mental people who aren't known by hc professionals?

Original poster
fairy1303 · 08/10/2013 21:50

There were 8,084 murders in the UK in the same time period - it is a complete misrepresentation and ridiculously sensationalist to report in this way - having a Mental health issue does not make you a murderer it makes you a vulnerable person who is the victim of stigma and stereotypes such as this that just serve to ostracise you from society even more.

that's not going to help you get better is it?!

The stats from the Sun do not state whether these murders were committed due to mental illness either - so in theory, someone could have been diagnosed with mild depression 10 years ago, gone on to murder someone and it would be in these statistics.

It is dangerous and perpetuating the draconian and unhelpful viewpoints such as you have posted.

OP posts:
Heartbrokenmum73 · 08/10/2013 21:51

Aaaaaaaand the mental health bashing continues!

FFS, it's shite like this that stops me disclosing my depression on job applications and to certain people!

It's 2013 and here we still are...sigh

Original poster
fairy1303 · 08/10/2013 21:51

It also isn't clear that the 1,200 was over a 10 year period.

OP posts:
Heartbrokenmum73 · 08/10/2013 21:52

Oh, and btw, Fairy, I'm with you on this, just in case I wasn't clear!

Pigsmummy · 08/10/2013 21:52

Have checked data, Between 2001 and 2010 there were 738 murders by actual mental health patients, i.e. under the care of a team, with or without a diagnosis but known to mental health teams.

The remainder of the 1216 people murdered where in fact murdered by people who were subsequently assessed (in trial and post humoustly) and were diagnosed as having mental health conditions.

Original poster
fairy1303 · 08/10/2013 21:52

Me too, Heartbrokenmum

OP posts:
Heartbrokenmum73 · 08/10/2013 21:53

best lock me away now then, eh?

Heartbrokenmum73 · 08/10/2013 21:55

What, ALL of the other murderer's were found to have mental health conditions? ALL of them? Nothing to do with legal defense teams trying to get their clients softer terms then, no?

Oh, and please cite your stats, Pigsmummy!

Original poster
fairy1303 · 08/10/2013 21:55

Heartbroken Safer that way isn't it?

actually - do you know what, I've got a great idea -

We could have these big buildings with special rooms in them where we can all go - We could call them 'asylums'

That way all the other people can go about their business in safety

OP posts:
unfortunatedischarge · 08/10/2013 21:56

so in other words, 6000 people killed by non mental patients

that's a quite scary statistic. Maybe they all be locked up?

Heartbrokenmum73 · 08/10/2013 21:57

Yes, Fairy, great idea!

And they could charge the 'normals' to come in and look at us. Because we haven't been down THAT path before have we?

But hey, we all know that most mental health conditions are made up anyway...

Twattyzombiebollocks · 08/10/2013 21:57

The problem is that mental health is a huge blanket term, and about as broad as physical illness.
You could say that people who are ill are more likely to die soon, which is certainly true if you take ill people as a whole, but someone suffering from say a kidney infection is no more likely to die that someone not suffering from it, whereas someone with a stage 4 cancer is considerably more likely to die in the near future.
MH is the same. Someone suffering from depression is no more likely to kill someone than the next person, but someone with unmedicated schizophrenia is more of a risk.
Technically speaking one of my best friends is a "nutter" she has bipolar. She has been suicidal many times in the last few years, but she's about as dangerous as a wet fish. Her ex on the other hand, who does not have mental health problems (unless you count being a nasty bullying bastard as a mental health problem) has beaten her up so many times I've lost count and put her in hospital several times.

MrsHelsBels74 · 08/10/2013 22:01

If you looked hard enough you could probably find any number of coincidental facts linking a number of unrelated murders, e.g. 12,000 murders committed by obese/brown-haired/blue-eyed people etc etc. doesn't mean having brown hair or blue eyes makes you any more likely to commit murder...but that doesn't make good reading.

It's shit like this that still means I get looked at askance at times when I admit I suffer from depression and was once an inpatient in a psychiatric ward. I'm not about to murder anyone.

Heartbrokenmum73 · 08/10/2013 22:03

See, some of the stuff on this thread (and many others regarding mental health) do make me feel murderous so maybe there is some truth in it after all Grin