Instead of getting frustrated and arguing with a bunch of you on the internet I'm just going to say this...
There is a massive difference in intent and culpability between someone who commits domestic violence because they enjoy having power and control over others and someone who is violent due to significant mental health issues which are exacerbated by self-medication with psychosis inducing street drugs.
Today's incident is heartbreaking and inexcusable but a lot of people seem to be missing the point that this person was clearly and severely mentally unwell and showing all the classic signs of psychosis likely further messed up by methamphetamine use. I'm not saying that excuses anything or there isn't anything unpleasant about the person, but if you've seen his recent posts online there is a clear break from reality in recent times and evidence of a highly unhinged mind.
These incidents are never black and white and as someone who used to do post-mortem psychological autopsies on suicide victims I can assure you there is never a single factor which causes these kind of behaviours. There are however frequently common factors which often include,
- childhood trauma
- mental health issues resultant from childhood trauma
- sometimes the adoption of what we call toxic masculinity identification in order to feel good/strong. Those with trauma know how awful it is and we all use various coping means whether that be drugs, alcohol, music, therapy and in some cases hyper-masculinity to make us feel better.
- self medication with substances that make you feel better and take away the depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms- favourites tend to be alcohol (numbing), heroin (numbing and pleasurable), and amphetamines (feel powerful and physically strong).
- further mental health issues from substance abuse and from the breakdown in social relationships that occurs due to substance abuse related issues like crime and the exacerbation of affect regulation difficulties and increased likelihood of violent outbursts if using amphetamines
- and you can see how bad things can get from today's incident
If like me you are filled with a myriad of difficult and distressing emotions about what occurred today please consider directing your energy into advocating for more support for people impacted by mental health, substance abuse and domestic violence. There is a massive lack of services available and we desperately need more support for those with issues and for those who are risk of developing issues due to exposure to violence or other risk factors. It's a vicious cycle and the government is not investing enough in either the much needed early intervention or the supports to help people overcome these issues.
Be angry, be upset, be outraged, but calling for the blood of one man is not going to fix this tragedy nor prevent others from occurring.
I clearly haven't done this topic justice and I'd need to write a 1000X more to even scratch the surface, but if you're interested in learning more about this there's a great book called "From Neurons to Neighbourhoods" which is pretty easy to read.
Published anonymously. You can cut and paste what I have written far and wide, but please don't credit me. Last time someone publicly shared a post I made like this I got threats from random douchebags.
Comments
A common question being
A common question being raised is why was this person released on bail. The answer is that the Victorian prison system is overcrowded and the court system cannot process them. In circumstances like this, tragic events like this are almost inevitable.
Predictably, the Herald Sun has called for more stringent bail conditions, which will only exacerbate the existing problem of overcrowding. Meanwhile in countries like Norway and the Netherlands, already with low crime rates, prisons are closing down with notably low rates of recidivism.