It's Not All About Anthrax

It's Not All About Anthrax

Here we go again. I know I have raised the question before, but regrettably, it's still frighteningly relevant. Do we, as a culture, have any respect for massive evidence of severe emotional disturbance in a person who has the power to act out violent fantasies? It is absolutely mind-boggling to me to learn that the scientist whom the FBI names as the Anthrax killer was widely known to be what his therapist called a "homicidal maniac"! His paranoia and readiness to act on it was well known far beyond his therapist’s office. He was smart enough to diagnose himself--to document his preoccupations and impulses in emails to colleagues and friends.

So what’s the deal? Are these grown-up scientists, employees of the U.S. government, loath to be called "tattletales"? The New York Times reports that a U.S. Attorney called Dr. Bruce Ivins "'a troubled individual' who carried out "the worst act of bioterrorism in U. S. history." Did anybody wonder about continuing to allow a documented psychotic individual with paranoid delusions and a lack of impulse control to handle anthrax? To have easy access to such materials for murder with the blessing of the United States government?

This isn’t even a question of whether therapists have a "duty to warn" (which they absolutely do) when presented with persuasive evidence of a client’s impulse to commit a violent crime. It seems that Ivins’ menacing qualities were well known to his colleagues. And what sort of a friend allows his buddy to commit heinous acts without acting to protect the perpetrator from himself?

Something is very wrong here. While millions of sane and sober citizens are taking off their shoes in airports, being denied a bottle of water as they board, a certifiably mad and dangerous individual is afforded the continuing right to menace others. For my part, the question is not “Did he act alone?” or even at all; but why are we allowing a cultural predisposition to dismiss psychology and its lessons to put so many innocent people in grave danger?

We’ve got to get a grip and deal with the reality that twisted minds cannot be dismissed as just harmless "nuts" with the right to be free. I am hoping that the increasing numbers of psychologists running for and winning legislative offices, notably in the U.S. Congress, will make their voices known in the full definition of terroristic threats. Homicidal maniacs should be barred from positions of power over a naïve populace.

August 19, 2008

Comments

[Emily Joffrion]

Hi Adele,

I couldn't agree with you more: there are far too many people who evade the signs of mental illness and ignore those consequences until it's too late. This post, as well as your post on the violence in schools from February lucidly make the case that something should be done. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and your readers.

Also, I am an editor for toddl3r.com, which aggregates great kid advice, articles, and tips from all over the web. I would love the chance to tell you more about our site to see if it might be a good match for your Grandmom blog. Feel free to contact me at emily@stagetwoconsulting.com and thank you again for your great blog post.

Best Wishes,

Emily