Be part of the solution

A letter from Fort Smith compels me to share a recent experience. I asked a couple of friends in the medical field the following question: “For decades, experts have been educating us about cancer and heart disease. We know risk factors and early signs, and that has saved lives. Couldn’t we do the same for mental illness?”

Their answers were not encouraging.

First, they cited systemic issues. Privacy laws make it extremely difficult to share information, and nobody can be forced to go to the hospital. The difference is if you’re having chest pains, you’ll head for the ER. If you’re feeling mad at the world, you might not.

Furthermore, behavioral changes are often extremely subtle and occur gradually over time. The vast majority of those changes are temporary and do not lead to violence. Since people respond differently to events, risk factors are difficult to identify.

In short, it’s up to us. The better we know each other and the more we care enough to pay attention, the greater our chances of heading off tragedy. There are people with whom we can share our concerns, such as doctors, ministers, and our local health department. While everyone says there are no guarantees, there actually is one: We’ll be part of the solution instead of the problem.

Also, it won’t hurt to keep our guns locked up. CARI KING Pocahontas