Replies to '01/23 Con Artists and Thieves'
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January 23, 2008, 1:16 pm PST
 Quote From: sisnbobby I have read all of your comments on this topic. Let me start by saying I DO NOT condone any of these behaviors. I DO BELIEVE that there were probably signs early on that these people had mental health problems, & they were more than likely not treated at all or not treated properly.
I am the mother of a 17 yr old who has been dx'd ADHD, Bipolar I, Schizoid Personality Disorder, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, possible Asperger's, & Habitual Thief (my dx). Igg stole for the 1st time at the age of 2. We immediately returned to the store where I made him return the stolen item. I then had a discussion with him about stealing. It is now 15 yrs later & my son is still stealing. Over these past 15 yrs, my son has been taken on a tour of the local juvenile detention center (at the age of 5), taken to the police station, had to return the stolen merchandise (& payment for it, with money he has to earn, if it was stolen from a store), had his butt spanked, had his personal items taken from him, loss of privileges, through a personal agreement w/ a victim he did "community service", lost what few friends he did have, been kicked out of his favorite class in school, & in lot's of therapy, none of which has worked.
We have asked his current Dr. & therapist about an inpatient program to help him; they have told us there is no treatment for this disorder, they told us to let him get arrested, & let him go to jail. That tells me they are saying to give up on him. I, as a mother, can not just give up on my son. Sending him to jail is NOT the answer, it does not help him or rehabilitate him.
As most of you have expressed in your comments: "These parasites don't deserve to live in our society; 1st of all, MY SON IS NOT A PARASITE, he is a very troubled child who wants and desperately needs help. They deserve to be in prison among others like themselves; People like this should be locked up & restricted from society; Yes, they would be among others like themselves, people that are ill, that society says, just lock them away we have no use for them, they are Sick NOT BAD. Would you feel that way if they had cancer? No, I'm sure you wouldn't. These people are ill, that's why it is called "MENTAL ILLNESS!!!!" Stealing is not an addiction; Maybe it isn't an addiction, but it is an ILLNESS, that needs treatment. This is simply a psychobabble excuse for being a THIEF; No it is not, obviously you do not have a good understanding of mental illness or it's effects on the people who suffer everyday with it. You don't need therapy to figure out why you steal-you already know it is wrong- so STOP doing it; My son does feel remorse after he has stolen, so much so that he has suicidal thoughts, because he says, "Mom I don't know how else to stop." This is a child who wants help & wants to stop, but no matter how hard he tries to, he can't stop himself. It's not as easy as just STOPPING.
I now know why God thought my family was special enough to be given not 1 but 2 of his Special People to Love, because he knew we would LOVE THEM & FIGHT FOR THEM UNCONDITIONALLY; & unlike so many OF YOU in society, we would NOT give up on them and just LOCK them away & restrict them from society.
There is so much still unknown about Mental Illness, but I can tell you first hand, we live with it every single day of our lives, MENTAL ILLNESS IS HELL!!!! For those who suffer from with it & those who love and stand by them. It is heartbreaking when your 14 yr old son is having hallucinations so badly he is afraid to take a shower without someone in the room with him, when he can't sleep because those people in my room won't shut-up, when your son spends 4 1/2 weeks in a mental health facility on suicide watch. That's just a drop in the bucket for our loved ones living with MENTAL ILLNESS. How may of you could walk a mile in their shoes? Probably not many of you. So, before you so harshly judge others & make uneducated comments, consider this: MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE REAL & can make people do things that most of us would never consider doing. Have some compassion & be try to a positive influence in their life.
We are a family who with our son is begging for help. I understand what you're saying in defense of your son, but you are not helping the stigma of mental illness by equating it with criminal action. My niece has schizophrenia and she is not a thief or con artist. In fact, she has held down a responsible job for the past eight years and hasn't missed a single day's work. Not everyone who steals and lies is mentally ill. What an idea to spread! Micki is certainly not mentally ill -- she is vain, entitled and lazy. Her problem is not illness but attitude. Micki is ridiculous when she insists she's a good person and a loving mother. A good mother doesn't take risks that could send her to jail. A good person doesn't steal money from a trusting old man. I'm sure Micki has the capability to be a good person and a good mother but she can't claim those titles until she earns them through her actions. My heart goes out to you because I know how hard it is to live someone who has a severe mental illness. Your son *does* have special problems that make it hard for him to even know what he is doing all the time. I tell people that schizophrenia is like having a nightmare that you can't wake-up from. If he is inside one of these nightmares, or having hallucinations, then of course he may not be aware of whether or not he is stealing. He deserves all the special consideration in the world -- along with the very best medical care. I just don't give the same consideration to today's Dr Phil guests. I think he would know if his guests were mentally ill. I believe he knew just what he was dealing with when he told them they were lazy. |
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