meanwhile, a 6-year-old autistic boy was thrown off a high bridge into the ocean by his mother.

[grasswire]

She couldn't get mental health help to handle her stresses. Her husband recently diagnosed with MS and a brain mass. Little London, six years old, was "dragged" up the bridge over Oregon's Yaquina Bay and thrown off into the turbulent night water. By his mother.

Elections have consequences. Cutting mental health services has consequences.

This one is keeping me awake at night.

RIP London, dear child. May there be a place of peace for you.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jillian-mccabe-accused-throwing-autistic-son-oregon-bridge-n240606

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. Republican policies and behaviors are causing mental illness.

[Dont call me Shirley]

13. If she couldn't afford her meds or her dr visit that month and was having a psychotic episode

that would make her an evil witch? Huh? I've seen people who were normal one moment and having massive psychosis the next.

Heres some studying on mental illness and what the lack of treatment does to a person.

http://www.nami.org/

[Cleita]

22. That doesn't help the kid does it?

Even evil, selfish bitches might need help.

[KamaAina]

4. I believe s/he is blaming the results of prior elections

particularly Boner and the repuke House.

[KingCharlemagne]

6. Cutting services for the mentally ill started back when Reagan was Governor of California, IIRC, and

then went national starting in 1981.

Always been a Republican thing. Shit, they'd probably like to reinstate Hitler's program of euthanasia if they thought they could get away with it.

[Dont call me Shirley]

14. Thank you!

[Dont call me Shirley]

15. Thank you!

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. *swoosh*

[grasswire]

17. you need some education, son

When Republicans cut funding for social services, families suffer -- particularly families that are in distress.

What do you think happens when "sequestration" is the fashion for Republican voters? Call it "austerity" if you wish.

A boy died alone at his mother's hand. She had begged for help. She had exhibited warning signs. She had taken her stress to youtube and social media.

No safety net was there for London.

[Live and Learn]

34. And your blaming the mother will help the child how?

We all have a culpability in this child's death. You included.

[Live and Learn]

36. Just speaking the truth whether you accept it or not. nt

[KamaAina]

3. Indeed he was.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025756150

[jillan]

7. I am the mother of a special girl. Well she is 27 now and still lives with me. Believe me

when I tell you how many times I fantasized about doing the same thing. Luckily I know when to walk away.

98% of the time, she is the sweetest, happiest, most lovable person in the world.
2% of the time she is violent.

No one knows what we go thru.

I took her to see a behavioral specialist when she was younger. First Ritalin that made her nuts and then some other drug that made her a zombie.

Pharma. That's the only help we have.

And to top it off - when it comes to services for this population, guess who is always first on the chopping block? Yep.
This population doesn't vote. So it's us, the parents and the guardians that have to be a constant advocate for our children.
It's not just mental health. I met a woman at a rally at the state capitol for disability rights. She was born with a normal IQ in a deformed body. She held a job and was a contributing member of society. But she couldn't get out of bed or get dressed without someone's help. The state was trying to cut the services that provided this woman with that helper. They'd rather have her lay in bed than offer the benefits for special care.
Luckily we won that battle.

Elections do have consequences. I haven't slept good in two nites because of the teabagger that is taking Jan Brewer's place.
I expect I will be spending a lot of time at the state capitol - again.

[grasswire]

18. blessings on you and your daughter.

[Odin2005]

8. As an autistic person, this hurts.

[Blue_Tires]

23. +1

[mythology]

9. I read about this a couple of days ago

This was obviously awful, but as you note it really does show the need for more of a social safety net.

[Ilsa]

10. This breaks my heart.

And I bet the RW never saw it on Fux news.

[AZ Progressive]

11. America is a half civilized, but also half barbaric nation

Noone can say that we are anything more than half civilized when compared to europe and the rest of the developed world.

Unfortunately that means a ton of suffering for so many American people, as well as a lot of dead Americans as a result.

[Brigid]

16. This makes me think of an ad that I have always found haunting.

It is for a financial services company. It features a woman raising a severely handicapped young son, who was apparently born very prematurely. He is completely dependent on her for everything.Apparently her husband has died, so she is on her own. Ever since I saw this ad for the first time, I have thought that I could guess what her deepest fear is: What will happen to him if, for any reason, she can no longer care for him? For one thing, he is not going to be a scrawny six-year-old forever. Now, if I see that ad again, I will think, what if she snaps? Everyone has their breaking point.

[grasswire]

19. I remember that ad.

It was very poignant. It displayed just a tiny bit of the stress a parent of a handicapped child can feel.

[Hekate]

27. I remember that ad. Every time I've heard people going on about "miracle" preemies...

...I think of outcomes like that. And then what do the mothers do, what support do they really have?

[Odin2005]

28. I was born 9 weeks early, which was very early in 1986.

I was one of those premies whose names were on those Children's Miracle Network displays one saw in big box stores. Whether that is the reason I am on the autism spectrum I probably will never know.

I still shed a tear when I see those displays.

[Hekate]

32. I'm glad you made it, and made it to DU.

That's all.

[Odin2005]

33. Thanks!

[H. Cromwell]

37. A 6 month premie here...in 1956

I was 1.5 pounds at birth and immediately baptized because I was not supposed to live. 58years later I am 5' 11" weigh in at an over weight of 235. No lasting issues other than a heart murmur.
I have a neighbor child with 'slight autism'. This child will not survive socially if his mother is not in his life. His father would treat him as a monthly check.

[Odin2005]

29. I remember that ad!

[n2doc]

20. I have seen more stories like these recently

As the parent of an aspie son, I worry about how he is going to make his way into this world. He is relatively mild on the scale, but it is enough to isolate him from society here in the south. I am thinking about moving back to California when I retire (or my job here ends).


People under tremendous pressure can do all sorts of terrible things if they don't see a way out.

[liberal_at_heart]

26. my husband and I moved from Texas to Washington state. The best move we ever made.

My autistic son is welcomed and liked by just about everybody he meets.

[Odin2005]

31. Something like 4 out of 5 aspies are unemployed.

I have a degree in psychology and I am stuck working at a thrift store that hires people with disabilities for minimum wage because there are 0 job openings in things relevant to my degree, all the mental health places here want at least a Masters degree before they will even CONSIDER hiring somebody.

[grasswire]

24. the sad news tonight...

.....is that she had an appointment for the next day to have her meds adjusted. She had suffered from mental illness for two years, with several suicide attempts, and was under-served by social services that were likely overwhelmed by case load. No one predicted she would harm her child Imeaning she was a caring mother). But husband was the sole support and he had been diagnosed with MS.

Many victims here, not only the boy. But he is the one who suffered the terror of that night.

[liberal_at_heart]

25. Why didn't she just turn him over to foster care? I am the mother of an autistic son and the wife

of a legally blind spouse. I have dealt with life long depression and anxiety and that was before I got married and had children. I had pretty deep depression while my kids were young. I gained a lot of weight. I would cry all the time. I would harm myself before I would ever lay a hand on my child. Yes this is the fault of a broken mental health system but there just is no excuse for murdering a 6 year old autistic child.

[JEB]

30. Yaquina Bridge is just down the road.

Crossing that bridge will never be the same for me. So terribly sad.