WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A person with a mental health condition is no more likely to be violent than any other person, a U.S. non-profit group says.
Linda Rosenberg, president and chief executive officer of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, which together with 1,800 member organizations, serves the more than 8 million adults and children with mental illnesses and addiction disorders, says much has been made about the mental state of the accused killer in Tucson, no one yet knows what drove the young man to engage in such a violent act.
Even so, it should be stressed that those with a mental health condition are no more violent than other people, she said.
"No one knows what, if anything, could have been done to change the course of events, but now there is a way for people to take action and possibly prevent such tragedies from happening," Rosenberg says in a statement
Mental Health First Aid is a public education program that teaches average people how to assess a situation, select and implement appropriate interventions and help a person in crisis or developing symptoms of mental illness.
Training is offered nationwide see MentalHeatlhFirstAid.org for dates and locations.
"We also know that after highly publicized tragedies like this, people may be seeking mental health counseling," Rosenberg says. "We suggest they use the 'Find the Provider' search tool at www.TheNationalCouncil.org.
