| The mental health system in Canada has been | | | | I have been following this case closely from the |
| brought to the forefront of all of our minds with the | | | | beginning and I admittedly have a more avid interest |
| shocking case of Vince Li, the Chinese immigrant who | | | | than most. As a student in the Mental Health and |
| decapitated a Greyhound passenger and was | | | | Addictions program, I will be doing my placement at |
| recently found Not Criminally Responsible for his | | | | the Forensic Unity of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health |
| actions. | | | | Centre. Although Mr. Li will be hospitalized in Manitoba, |
| The family of the victim have publicly denounced the | | | | I am eager to be able to meet other patients with |
| court system and have even said that Li is 'getting | | | | schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders who |
| away with murder.' They were also quoted as saying | | | | have come into contact with the law and hopefully |
| that 'he will be able to get a job in a day care and | | | | piece together a bit of the puzzle. |
| pursue life as he pleases.' | | | | Mr. Li most likely believed that he would be heralded |
| Frankly, it sickens me that these outrageous quotes | | | | as a hero when he jumped through the window of |
| and misinformed ideas have been allowed to spread | | | | the Greyhound bus covered in blood from head to |
| through the media and the public opinion. It is | | | | toe. Instead he was treated like 'some sort of |
| understandable that the family of victim Tim McLean | | | | murderer,' he later told a psychiatrist. In his mind, he |
| are completely shocked and abhorred by this | | | | had killed McLean on a direct order from God, |
| unfortunate incident, but their distorted views are | | | | because McLean was a demon. In his mind, he was |
| only bringing the plight of the mentally ill back another | | | | doing the right thing. It was only weeks later upon |
| step. | | | | being stabilized on anti-psychotic medications that Li |
| Schizophrenia is one of the least understood of all of | | | | came to understand the extent of his actions. |
| the major psychotic disorders. However, one thing is | | | | For some reason in mental illness, we tend to still |
| known for sure: people with schizophrenia are not | | | | somewhat hold the person responsible for their |
| any more likely than the general public to be violent. | | | | actions, where we never hold the same stance for |
| And in the rare cases that they do become violent, | | | | physical illness. For example, the mother of the victim |
| the violence is usually self-inflicted or geared towards | | | | would probably not be as enraged if her son was |
| close friends and family members. These types of | | | | killed by a driver who had an epileptic seizure behind |
| situations are usually preceded by either a failure to | | | | the wheel. They are both out of the control of the |
| take medication, experimentation with drugs and | | | | patient, but for some reason we as a society still |
| alcohol or extremely stressful life events, leading to a | | | | think the mentally ill should have to be punished for |
| psychotic break with reality. | | | | their actions. |