Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Man in Knife Attack Should Not Be Feared As a Major Threat to Society.

Edward Campbell | 24.12.2004 09:01

Detectives are questioning a man after a series of knife attacks in London yesterday. Sadly, it left one man dead and five people injured, of which four are in hospital and two of them are in a critical condition.

Sensationalising such attacks, which are very rare, does little to advance the way our society deals with mental health issues, and deal with the prejudice suffered by those with mental health problems.

The police have issued a statement saying the 30 year old man that they have detained has had a history of mental health problems.

Incidents such as these are often sensationalised to create unjustified fear, and are used by government to introduce even more coercive measures in treating mental heath problems.

This treatment almost exclusively centres around administering powerful drugs, and passing legislation to force patients to take them. It is a case of trying to tackle some of the symptoms rather than looking at the causes of the problem.

The only positive thing about this strategy is, that it's simple, it's apparently cheap, and it keeps the powerful drug companies happy. Undoubtedly, it helps some people, but how many?

Sensationalising and simplifying the causes of such attacks, only further spreads misunderstanding about mental health issues, and reinforces prejudice and ignorance. People with mental heath problems are ostracised, have scorn heaped upon them, are alienated, ignored, dismissed, and denied opportunities. It is the taboo prejudice that even the "I am an unprejudiced liberal" propagates, and resolves by dining out on how they know someone with mental health problems who fits a stereotype.

The facts are that the provision of resources for mental health is woefully inadequate, and, relative to other forms of heath care, vastly under funded. It also should be stated and remembered that very few people with mental heath problems are involved in random violent attacks and murder. These are in the vast majority of cases carried out by a so called sane mined persons who know the victim.

Ignorance about and prejudice against those who are unfortunate enough to suffer mental problems needs to be tackled, because, to varying degrees, a majority of people will suffer mental heath problems during their lives. Ignorance and prejudice, may allay fears about ones own psychological makeup, but it makes matters worse for others with poor health.

The people who commit these very rare offences, are not the ‘evil loony- tune nuters’ that society needs to fear. It’s not the kids on the streets at night who, alienated with nothing to do mildly misbehave, and are criminalized through anti-social orders that we need to fear. It is not the Islamic religion we need to fear. It’s not the hoards of imaginary terrorists: Al Quieda, animal rights, anarchists, wombles, peace campaigners that we need to fear today:-

It’s the Bushes, Rumsfelds, Blairs, Blunkets and Browns, whose power-crazy psychosis is responsible for an almost incomprehensible level of harm, death and destruction. They should be first in line for a heavy dosing, and locking up for a long time - but they project the fear onto others.

Edward Campbell

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Saddam Hussein was the madest man since Hitler!

24.12.2004 22:13

Quote : "It’s the Bushes, Rumsfelds, Blairs, Blunkets and Browns, whose power-crazy psychosis is responsible for an almost incomprehensible level of harm, death and destruction. They should be first in line for a heavy dosing, and locking up for a long time - but they project the fear onto others."

And what about Saddam Hussein? Wasn't he a madman and a very real threat to world peace?

Micheal


Yeah, I know know this guy feels...

25.12.2004 20:58

...wake up on the wrong side...next thing I'm out of the house with a mashette under me coat, and out for action...god help anyone who gets in the way.

Reason to own a motor I suppose...keeps you out of the way of street action.

I don't feel safe on the street anyway... been threatened with violence too much..pubs and clubs and things...I was a frequent occurance for a while...in particular when the goddess possession was strongest (in the middle of a direct action jihad)....the macho boyo's seemed to take offense when the goddess is in the house. In empowered form. They were jealous, they wanted to 'take on' the diety..try and break the channel, whatever...

Like some sort of vcery stupid and perverted 'game' to try and disrupt communal non violence...in the situation of a hall, or venue, and 'take' it using violence or threats of violence. Common symdrome I guess. We know who taught them how to do that.
At this time I was in a goddess trance, so it was all new to me!

It's very easy if want to to turn a ausipicious state of consciousness in a medium or witch into paranoid scitzphrenic pyscosis.

We don't really have to try very hard at all to do this do we 'mad morons?'

Take care,

Blessed,

King Amdo.

Cymru Tribal Soverignty!

King Amdo


Agree

26.12.2004 11:46

I agree with just about everything Edward has said.

I have suffered from mental problems brought on by severe stress and triggered by alcohol and cannabis.

Recent research from Germany has now catagorically proved that mental can be brought on by young people who smoke too much dope. I believe that a young persons mental faculties are not fully developed in a neurological sense until late teens or even later in some cases, thus prolonged dope smoking, especially now with strong brands of skunk available in seed form in shops in every town. This is mirrored by teenage drinkers who are having liver and kidney problems in their late teens

Depression can take many forms but one of the most acute is psychosis, this guy could be a depressive who flipped after taking a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, and displayed severe psychotic beheviour in his attacking.

One thing you can be sure of if this is the case the media will cause a big discriminatory fuss against depressives, psychotics and people with mental health problems. Perhaps this will be the sad trigger for the funding of decent mental health services in this country especially in our big cities. Also if one drug is cited as the trigger such as cannabis (many people who commit serious crimes who have cited cannabis as the trigger have been such big stoners that they have forgotten about all the other drugs they took with it)then there will be a witchunt against it as it is now a class C drug.

But coming back to my main point, will the government recognise that psychotic beheviour is affecting young people who are smoking too much strong dope and displaying mental health problems as a result? I doubt it

Recovered

Recovered


Smoked Out (Addressing the first three comments)

26.12.2004 19:48

Marijuana can provide a very pleasant and worthwhile experience for the vast majority who use it. Some research possibly indicates that a very small minority may suffer adverse effects. If true, it just tells us that it is not a universal panacea or leisure activity - but we knew that already.

However, most probably, the weed is smoking out an existing underlying neurosis, or psychosis; just as the above article has, as far as the authors of the comments are concerned, smoked out their own neuroses.

Straight Edge


Excuse me, "Recovered".

26.12.2004 21:58

Addressing the comment of "Recovered":

I did not mean to you refer to you in my last comment - I just couldn‘t count.. And thank you for your honest and valuable comment, by the way.

I disagree with what you say about the government now willing to recognise that weed causes mental illness. They are all to willing to do this because being seen to be anti drugs is a big part of their rhetoric. And, still, I don't really agree that weed is the actual cause, despite the research, although, if you read on, we probably agree on the outcomes.

Before research on this issue claims to be categorical, it needs to address other factors.
Firstly, existing psychological and mental health problems may lead some take to weed. Secondly, weed may make existing problems worse. This implies that weeds smokers are more likely to suffer poor mental health, just like the research, but it does not say weed is the cause.

But my augments still do imply it is probably a good idea to give it up to improve very poor mental health, and keep off it if you are vulnerable, although in many cases weed may be good for mental health. Indeed , what research is looking into the beneficial effects of weed on mental health. It depends on the person, and the best way their problems can be solved.

I am a little sceptical about some research, although that's not to say it’s wrong in this case. For example, for many years research has been carried out into the set of mental health symptoms given the name bipolar affective disorder or manic depression, to determine if it has a genetic component. At various times over the last 30 years researchers have claimed the discovery of the bi-polar gene. And there was the gene for homosexuality, and the gene for addiction to sour cream flavoured Pringles (not really, but there were plenty of other bizarre claims).

In recent years there has been a leap forward in knowledge about the structure of human DNA. One discovery is that there are far fewer genes than was once thought and they are not so much distinct individual genes but segments of DNA. The consequence is that there cannot be distinct genes for all human characteristics, from diseases to behaviour, and whatever, because there's just not enough to go round; never mind that it was dubious science that claimed human behaviour and characteristics are all encoded in DNA.

(As an aside, nurture is unquestionably the overwhelmingly dominant factor in human behaviour, although they are still banging on about the ‘self-fish’ gene - most selfish genes end their lives in condoms)

The upshot with regard to the latest research on bipolar affective disorder is that three areas of DNA may make a small contribution. To be sure this means the case for a genetic component is not yet proven, and if it is subsequently proven, the genetic component will be small.

Please liberally sprinkle the above with “I think s and “probably”, because I haven’t done any research. .

Yeh, and best wishes Recovered - and best keep of the Moroccan Marlboros,

Straight Edge 2


No. The 'bad trips' relating to Cannabis (in this society) are merely that...

27.12.2004 11:42

..ceratinly not regular diseases at all. Forgetaboutit in other words.

Why do people in this society sometimes have this fear based reaction to the shammanic/ritual/sacremental drug Cannabis?

These people are often those with hightened occult sensitivity,...those who would be witchs, medicene people, holy people, mediums, in tribal and eastern society are selected (USUALLY by merely a malign energy process type thing)...in this society for scapegoating by this fascist order of a paradigm that we have in the west. Remember we are talking magic ritual here (for good or bad). A scapegoating process originating from ritual racist child abuse would tend to have a destabilizing infuluence upon ones pyscky.

Also, in the west, we have this 'recreational' attitude towards Cannabis that is wrong and dangerous. Cannabis IS ALWAYS used within a religious context in the east, and there is a reason for this...because Cannabis is a 'pyscik opener'...so you load your head up with superstrong gear...and then are suprised when it explodes!

One shouldn't allow this to make one part of a 'demonisation' of Cannabis..an influence, remember, originating from wholely eveil and negative karmic source. It should be free and used (or uses us!) in a religious sacremental context. It's potential for 'real time' reality change is immense (again in the western context for the reasons already explained it helps for the sacrement to be free...to obtain the most auspicious benefits. Potentially, literally, the reality would change to one of sharing and loving around one, including whatever you want appearing by magic, for example! This is what cannabis. is about..transcending to higher levels of consciousness of sharing love light...levels of reality where good magic is real. Like a maoist nivarna....'cept , of course, that the maoist trip inherenty bans itself from these realites (as does christianity, of course..ah-ha!) with its anti religious stance...and indeed inherent sacred space/medium trashing trip. Droooonggooo's.

That people 'go on a bad trip' (and get held there screaming (literally in the pyscik magical sense, by the pyscriatric system (*)) is not the fault of the drug, but of the regime, the order, the paradigm, the system, the programming. I've noted, by the way, how police state sponsered schemes aid in this (negative scapegoating type) focilisation of society in this way...In particular 'neighbourhood watch'... which is merely another channel for the ritual racist child abusers to (hypocritically) control society. So it's about the subconscious...freedom of, or scurrellous and evil control of. Either way this socity is doomed. Allah Akbar.

Now you know the actual reason why.

You and your so called civilization is well and truely finished westeners!

OM SHIVA!

King Amdo

(*) which is part of the reason why I'm sworn to destroy your civilization disrespectful fildth.

King Amdo


Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech