34 year old gets 20 years for Raping 79 year old woman....

[Peikko 1,575]

See, there's where you just went completely wrong.

The assumption is these people are 'mentally ill.'

No. They don't meet societies standards on what they believe/have feelings towards. That doesn't make them 'mentally ill,' it just makes them different.

It's a simple matter of people 'acting' on their feelings versus being more scared of societies reactions.

Do you really think the amount of homosexuals out there is larger than it was 50 years ago? Do you honestly believe that every person that's attracted to small children actually acts on it? Do you believe everyone who could snap the neck of another person and not think twice about it, actually acts on it?

If you think any of those things, you're dead wrong.

Mental illness is not what it is, it's a different way of thinking.

We define that of which we don't understand in society as an 'illness' though to make us feel better about what just happened that we can't grasp.

If you believe half of what you wrote just there, you are completely ignorant of mental illness. It has nothing to do with being unable to 'grasp' things that happen and just flinging labels about.

[Peikko 1,575]

If you actually bother to think about the causes of crime, you will realize that the most common factor is stress. Stress can cause someone who has no mental illness to make decisions they would not normally make and sometimes lead to criminal activity. Stress is even more problematic for those who have mental problems. If the mental problems are managed, and stress levels managed then crime amongst those who are mentally damaged is less likely to occur.

Of course, if you think that most people commit crimes because they are simply bad people, or perhaps possessed by 'evil' then...well there is no solution, and I can see why you might want to simply euthanize them.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

If you believe half of what you wrote just there, you are completely ignorant of mental illness. It has nothing to do with being unable to 'grasp' things that happen and just flinging labels about.

Do you think one who is sexually attracted to a child has a mental illness?

How about someone who's sexually attracted to a certain animal?

[Peikko 1,575]

Unless we are talking 'white collar crime' and you do of course realize that most white collar crime is never even prosecuted, let alone punished. White collar criminal activity costs billions of dollars but is not even pursued the majority of the time - and these are really the most commonly committed crimes by people who in perfect mental health knowingly do things that are unethical and simply wrong.

Do you think one who is sexually attracted to a child has a mental illness?

How about someone who's sexually attracted to a certain animal?

Not necessarily 'mental illness' but certainly emotional immaturity for the first one.

As for animals and sex, that's not exactly common and I would think that again, there is more likely to be an emotional dysfunction which does not allow for that person to relate normally to other people which may or may not be a fully fledged mental illness.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Do you think one who is sexually attracted to a child has a mental illness?

How about someone who's sexually attracted to a certain animal?

perhaps this is a silly question but why are you asking her? The reason I ask is because there are plenty of "professionals" on record about what they think on that subject. Look it up, see what you find. In this regard your or anyone else's personal opinion is pretty worthless, but convenient because it allows you to advance an agenda without any actual supporting evidence.

[Peikko 1,575]

You should understand the explanations are not excuses but having an understanding of why people do things and what is 'wrong' with them when they do, is the only way to successfully work at prevention of crime, which is infinitely better than simply dealing with the consequences of crime.

[Ali G. 37]

Do you think one who is sexually attracted to a child has a mental illness?

How about someone who's sexually attracted to a certain animal?

Of course they are. Mental illness and its cause is rampant in the United States. In my opinion this has a lot to do with and is basically exasperated by the anything goes mentality encouraged here. It's why you guys have so much more crime and callous crime here than most other first world countries.

I can tell you this, take a trip to AUS and the first thing you will notice is the sheer number of people and kids out and about, more often than not, on the streets alone. Whereas, here you have to be proactively concerned about some sick person kidnapping or abusing them. I have seen x fold more kidnappings on the news here in the last four years than my entire life in AUS. And it's not because they don't report it there.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Ali G.

[PhiLandShiR 18]

If you believe half of what you wrote just there, you are completely ignorant of mental illness. It has nothing to do with being unable to 'grasp' things that happen and just flinging labels about.

Well, if mankind were able to grasp and understand things that happen, we would not have religion. That little mess was devised because we don't understand things...

But that has little to do the conversation at hand...

I believe that Impulse Control or lack there of, is one of the major problems that gets bunched into mental illness and it should addressed as a separate issue.

[Peikko 1,575]

perhaps this is a silly question but why are you asking her? The reason I ask is because there are plenty of "professionals" on record about what they think on that subject. Look it up, see what you find. In this regard your or anyone else's personal opinion is pretty worthless, but convenient because it allows you to advance an agenda without any actual supporting evidence.

I agree that it is pointless as I am not a mental health professional and as such I can only provide very basic answers to such questions with my limited understanding of the complexities of mental illness and emotional dysfunction. I can't understand why someone would seek to provide some 'other' explanation for aberrations that lead to this type of criminality when we have perfectly good and well researched explanations already.

[Ban Hammer 14,294]

How about someone who's sexually attracted to a certain animal?

spooky and scandal will have to weigh in on that.

[Ali G. 37]

Well, if mankind were able to grasp and understand things that happen, we would not have religion. That little mess was devised because we don't understand things...

So you assume religion is to blame for this? Highly doubt it as the kindest folks I know of are generally religious and that is regardless of denomination or beliefs.

[Peikko 1,575]

Well, if mankind were able to grasp and understand things that happen, we would not have religion. That little mess was devised because we don't understand things...

But that has little to do the conversation at hand...

I believe that Impulse Control or lack there of, is one of the major problems that gets bunched into mental illness and it should addressed as a separate issue.

Impulse control can be a symptom of mental illness but it can also be a symptom of other emotional dysfunctions. The point about it is though, that if one is able to understand how and why these types of crimes occur then one can address the causes and attempt prevention rather than seek retribution after the fact. Crime will never be eliminated, but people get so fixated on individuals that perpetrate these types of crimes as if this is the be all and end all of societal problems and as I said, if people were only interested in the cost to society, they would go hard and fast at white collar crime...but nothing is done about that type of thing at all, but yet it costs society trillions of dollars.

[PhiLandShiR 18]

So you assume religion is to blame for this? Highly doubt it as the kindest folks I know of are generally religious and that is regardless of denomination or beliefs.

To blame for it?? no.

But the same process in the brain that allowed for the creation of religion, is also accessed and used when it comes to mental illness.

[Peikko 1,575]

To blame for it?? no.

But the same process in the brain that allowed for the creation of religion, is also accessed and used when it comes to mental illness.

I am not a believer in benevolent creators but I think you have wandered into completely unprovable territory with such a statement.

I also believe that society as a whole has benefited from organized religion, despite the holes in the theories of belief, the overall effect of striving to see human life as something to be cherished and valued is without doubt beneficial historically.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Madame Cleo

[PhiLandShiR 18]

Impulse control can be a symptom of mental illness but it can also be a symptom of other emotional dysfunctions. The point about it is though, that if one is able to understand how and why these types of crimes occur then one can address the causes and attempt prevention rather than seek retribution after the fact. Crime will never be eliminated, but people get so fixated on individuals that perpetrate these types of crimes as if this is the be all and end all of societal problems and as I said, if people were only interested in the cost to society, they would go hard and fast at white collar crime...but nothing is done about that type of thing at all, but yet it costs society trillions of dollars.

True, but white collar crime is not nearly as unsetting as pools of blood on the street from a shooting nor as visceral as gun fire in the dark...