(8-16-19 ) It’s August, which means I will be taking a short, but much needed vacation with my family, and also finishing my new novel, entitled SHAKEDOWN. The comedian and social commentator John Oliver does a tremendous job examining our broken mental health care system in this segment. Take special note of his comments about blaming individuals with mental illnesses for mass shootings. Please take time to watch it. You won’t be disappointed.
Pete Earley is the parent designate on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee, created by Congress. He is the author of “Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness.”
“Mental illness and hatred pull the trigger, not the gun,” President Trump announced when he condemned shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, which together left at least 31 people dead and dozens wounded.
Mr. President, what you said about hatred rings true. But you are wrong in blaming mental illness.
As the father of an adult son with a mental illness and one of 14 nongovernment experts appointed by your administration to a panel that advises Congress about serious mental illnesses, I’d like to recount some well-established facts.
