Experts: U.S. Chasing Counterproductive Cure To Mass Shootings By Focusing On Mental Health System
Most of the people who commit mass murders do not have an illness that can be treated by the mental health system, experts say, so it is "ridiculous" to believe reforming that system could fix the problem. In other public health news, The Washington Post breaks down what men need to know about the gene linked to breast cancer, and on the new focus with organ transplants on improving lives instead of just saving them.
The Washington Post:
Most Mass Shooters Aren’t Mentally Ill. So Why Push Better Treatment As The Answer?
When it comes to mass shootings, President Obama and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan are in rare accord on a leading culprit. Both point fingers at mental illness. And in poll after poll, most Americans agree. But criminologists and forensic psychiatrists say there is a critical flaw in that view: It doesn’t reflect reality. While acknowledging that some of the country’s worst mass shooters were psychotic — the Colorado movie theater shooter, James Holmes, with his orange-dyed hair; the Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, whom a judge ordered to get treatment — experts say the vast majority of these killers did not have any classic form of serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or psychosis. (Rosenwald, 5/17)
The Washington Post:
Here’s What Men Need To Know About The Angelina Jolie ‘Breast-Cancer Gene’
Should men worry about the "Angelina Jolie breast-cancer gene?" A few years ago, Jolie had her breasts and ovaries removed after she found out she had a breast-cancer gene mutation that sharply increased her risk of cancer. Her decision encouraged many women to take a closer look at their family medical histories and, in some cases, to undergo genetic testing. Since then, researchers have increasingly found that BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have important implications for men. (McGinley, 5/17)
The Washington Post:
Risky Penis, Face And Hand Transplants Focus On Improving Lives – Not Saving Them
Today, an average of 79 people receive organ transplants — heart, lungs, livers, you name it — every day in the United States. Most of these patients are seriously ill, facing death, or at least suffering dire health consequences because of their malfunctioning organ. But increasingly, a new kind of transplant patient is emerging. They're undergoing some of the newest, riskiest transplant procedures in the world — and their lives don't even depend on them. Charla Nash got a new face. Thomas Manning got a new penis. Zion Harvey got new hands. (Feltman, 5/17)