It sure seems we have become a society that refuses to take responsibility for our own actions. There's a diagnosis for everything these days but the symptoms of these "disorders" are no different than they were when I was a kid. We just called it something different.
Munchausen's has been around for a while but this one is really hard for me to accept. I mean, you're basically an attention whore that tortures your children to get the desired attention, which often kills them. While I can understand people may do extreme things for attention, I do not believe this should be a valid defense for being acquitted of any crime. I'm very interested to see how this case turns out:
"Mommy blogger charged with murdering son with salt"
I think the disorder that makes me the angriest is what they call "
Affluenza" aka: The Spoiled Brat defense. In this
article, the psychologist admits he wishes he hadn't used that term and says that "we used to call these people spoiled brats". In this court case, the defendent was placed in a treatment facility and will be on probation for killing 4 people and injuring 2 while driving drunk! Basically, his family's money got him a break. That is NOT acceptable but as long as we have idiotic judges on the bench that are willing to give people breaks, this could continue!
My son was in trouble alot at school and eventually ended up in the juvenile court system for truancy. He was diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Basically, he has a problem listening to and respecting authority. Sound familiar? When I was a kid, we called this being an a$$hole! There was no disorder or "treatment". You learned to deal with life, the good and the bad, you sucked it up and you eventually grew up. Many people are now treated with anti-depressants for this disorder, which have been known to cause crazy side effects, including suicide, in teens. Um, thanks but no thanks. I chose to homeschool my son and he's been in much better spirits. It may take him longer to graduate but at least we aren't caught up in the justice system which just wants to lock him up and medicate him til he's an "adult".
As a society, we need to stop blaming all our issues on some psychological "disorder" and take responsibility for our actions. By the time you are in high school you are old enough to make your own decisions, choices, etc. Stop blaming your bad decisions on other people or your "messed up brain" and get your life together.
