Murdering mom of 3

[Gonz]

is on a suicude watch.


Why? Let's just hand her a knife & turn our back. The world will not be any worse off & it'll save a ton of cash.

SAN FRANCISCO — With her head lowered and holding her public defender's hand, a young mother accused of dropping her three sons into San Francisco Bay (search) pleaded innocent to three counts of murder.

After a brief arraignment Friday, 23-year-old Lashuan Harris (search) — whom family members have said suffers from schizophrenia — was returned to a hospital jail ward where she is under suicide watch.

 

[freako104]

That or give her death ourselves. Either way is fine but if she uses the knife, it saves the taxpayers

 

[Winky]

She needs a book and movie deal and a medal
a real American hero I tell ya!

A poster child for the "post-birth-abortion" crowd!

 

[Gato_Solo]

Haven't you been paying attention? Women who murder their children are suffering from a psychological disorder, and must be treated and released as soon as possible so as not to traumatize them further. Men who murder their children deserve the death penalty after a suitable period of suffering at the hands of 'Bubba' and 'Skillet'.

 

[freako104]

Haven't you been paying attention? Women who murder their children are suffering from a psychological disorder, and must be treated and released as soon as possible so as not to traumatize them further. Men who murder their children deserve the death penalty after a suitable period of suffering at the hands of 'Bubba' and 'Skillet'.

While I am sure you are being sarcastic, there are those that would believe that Gato. You and I both know and acknowledge this. But a killer is a killer is a killer. She deserves death IMO

 

[Bobby Hogg]

If she suffers from schizophrenia then she deserves the same sympathy any other sick person recieves. Perhaps more, because her illness has possibly made her kill her own children, and now she has that guilt on her conscience.

You wouldn't tell a person with Parkinson's to stop shaking, or a person with Alzheimer's to stop being so forgetful, so we should be more understanding of people with schizophrenia so that we can prevent tragedies like this happening.

 

[Inkara1]

So do you suggest we let this woman walk free?

 

[BlurOfSerenity]

i agree with bobby hogg to some extent. if someone has schizophrenia, it's very real. not a lot of people understand it. a lot of people think that if someone does something bad and blames it on a mental illness it's a cop-out, and sometimes it is a cop-out, but sometimes it's a legitimate claim.

for the people who do comit illegal acts who are found to be not sane, i dont think they should walk free, they clearly have problems that should be treated. but i think a mental institution or a mental unit in a jail is a better place for them than general population of a jail.

just cos she's sick doesnt mean she shouldnt pay. her thinking is different, and so the concequence should also be different.

 

[Bobby Hogg]

So do you suggest we let this woman walk free?

Well, did you see me suggest it anywhere in my post?

I'm suggesting she be held somewhere where her illness can be treated and she can be looked after, since she is obviously dangerous to other people and herself. Punishing someone with a mental illness is utterly futile, because it serves as no deterrent to other people with a mental illness.

In my opinion, these cases almost always highlight that perhaps we have a problem in society with the way we deal with people who have schizophrenia. Was this woman recieving enough help from family and friends, or the community at large?

Getting angry at a sick person after the fact is pointless. What can we do to try our utmost to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future?

 

[MrBishop]

What can we do to try our utmost to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future?

Follow-up for those who have been diagnosed. Court-ordered and enforced through simple checks at the hospital where the shot is administered (regularly). Today's medicines can be administered on a monthly basis, as opposed to former dossages where a daily pill had to be taken. The pill is often forgotten or deliberatly thrown away by those who are expected to self-medicate. If someone who is supposed to get a shot doesn't come to his/her appointment, you call (in case they forgot or were too ill to get to their appointment). If they missed it for innocent reasons, you schedule the shot again...if they skipped the shot, you go get them and administer it or you go there, with support, and administer it.

While on medication, schizophrenics are lucid and harmless. (or rather, no more harmful than anyone else).

If the person wasn't diagnosed...perhaps the people around him/her weren't paying attention, or didn't care.

***

As for the crime. There are psychiatric 'lock down' institutions where she can recieve treatment AND serve her time. Once she's medicated and lucid again... the time in lock down where she gets to think about what she did to her own children will seem hellish.

The Death Penalty is too quick.

 

[AllEars']

If she is on sucide watch she is not in general population and she is being looked after.

One of the individuals I work with has Schizophrenia, he receives his medication as prescribed and I still won't turn my back on him. The voices are very real to these people and persistent. Medication alone will not treat the effects of this disease.

 

[MrBishop]

Medication alone will not treat the effects of this disease.

Depends on the meds.... my Mom's been switched from one to the other for decades. They finally found the right mix for her...damn, but it's good to have my Mom back

 

[AllEars']

Depends on the meds.... my Mom's been switched from one to the other for decades. They finally found the right mix for her...damn, but it's good to have my Mom back

But you have probably been very invovled in her care also, and she goes to the doctor as suggested, where he\she monitors her medication levels through blood work. If something is not right I am sure he\she makes a change. And your mom probaly still has issues with the effects of the disease they are just not as persistent as without constant follow-up, correct?



I would think that is probably safe to say that her family has not been as active in her care as they should have been especially with 3 small children.

 

[MrBishop]

But you have probably been very invovled in her care also, and she goes to the doctor as suggested, where he\she monitors her medication levels through blood work. If something is not right I am sure he\she makes a change. And your mom probaly still has issues with the effects of the disease they are just not as persistent as without constant follow-up, correct?



I would think that is probably safe to say that her family has not been as active in her care as they should have been especially with 3 small children.

My Mom has more issues with controlling the side-effects of the meds. The meds are fairly all-encompassing re: the symptoms of the schizophrenia. We're lucky, I guess. Monitoring is always a good idea..it's just time-consuming and, like you said, not always done. It does take dedication and sometimes it takes judicial enforcement as well.

 

[Gato_Solo]

You wouldn't tell a person with Parkinson's to stop shaking, or a person with Alzheimer's to stop being so forgetful, so we should be more understanding of people with schizophrenia so that we can prevent tragedies like this happening.

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients do not have voices in their heads telling them what to do, do they? Nor are they dangerous, are they? This woman had issues for a long time. Schizophrenia just doesn't pop in overnight. I don't believe she had schizophrenia, and I won't believe it without some kind of proof. You are too quick to be lenient.

 

[MrBishop]

Harris reportedly told police she was prescribed Haldol at a Florida clinic where she spent two days during the summer. But she said she stopped taking the medication and had been hearing voices since her recent return to the Bay Area.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051020-21591100-bc-us-piertoss-1stld.xml

Haldol

 

[Gato_Solo]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051020-21591100-bc-us-piertoss-1stld.xml

Haldol

Thanks Bish. Now we have something...She deliberately stopped taking prescribed medication, so she brought this upon herself. Still looks like she's responsible for her actions due to cause and effect.

Harris reportedly told police she was prescribed Haldol at a Florida clinic where she spent two days during the summer. But she said she stopped taking the medication and had been hearing voices since her recent return to the Bay Area.

On who's authority did she stop taking her medication?

 

[Bobby Hogg]

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients do not have voices in their heads telling them what to do, do they? Nor are they dangerous, are they? This woman had issues for a long time. Schizophrenia just doesn't pop in overnight. I don't believe she had schizophrenia, and I won't believe it without some kind of proof. You are too quick to be lenient.

I think you missed my point about bringing up Alzheimer's and Parkinson's sufferers. Trying to tell them to stop being so forgetful or to stop shaking is like telling someone with schizophrenia to act normally. A person cannot be held responsible if their body doesn't function correctly, specifically in this case, the brain.

No one has to prove anything to you, fortunately. The people responsible for deciding whether she has schizophrenia or not are the doctors looking after her.

And of course it doesn't "pop in" overnight, that's why I am asking the question of how the situation got this far. If her family knew she had problems, then why is she in sole care of 3 young children? Why isn't anyone making sure she takes her medicine?

All ignorant bleaters like you ever think about is how righteously indignant you can get about a situation, rather than how we can stop them from occurring in the future.

 

[MrBishop]

Thanks Bish. Now we have something...She deliberately stopped taking prescribed medication, so she brought this upon herself. Still looks like she's responsible for her actions due to cause and effect.



On who's authority did she stop taking her medication?

Authority...no one's. If you have psychophrenia, you feel as if you're perfectly normal. Everything makes sense. If she got off the meds for a bit and started feeling 'odd'..she'd think that she was fine and didn't need the meds. That's the reality of the psych slippery slope.

Without follow-up, it's too easy to fall off the meds. It's damn inexpensive to follow-up too! A piece of paper with name/address/etc.. plus med prescribed, dates and who to contact if the person doesn't show up.

She moved from state to state and obviously she didn't didn't get followed. Didn't get a new Doc either.

 

[AllEars']

Why isn't anyone making sure she takes her medicine?

Unless, you are deemed incompetent by a judge no one can force you to take your meds. Do you finish all those antibitoics every time a doctor prescribes them to you? Or even follow every doctors order that is given to you exactly as he says?