"You are as likely to be hit by lightening than killed by a mentally ill person", yet we still stigmatise and discriminate why?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8192603.stm

We as a species like an adrenaline rush, after all it's the
motivation for skydiving, mountain climbing, roller coaster, ghost stories and many movies.In short we love a good scare, but is the latter helping to foster untrue and detrimental stereotyping.

We seek entertainment by vilifying those that are different or we don't understand.
Almost every crime show/movie has depicted the mentally ill as either someone to be fearful of or an object of pity. In reality in 98% of the cases the stereotype is not true.

For example schizophrenics, bipolar suffers are more likely to harm themselves than others.
Most murders are committed by ordinary 'sane' people, people like us. Therefore, logically shouldn't we fear normality(?).

Honestly,how many of you really understand what mental illness entails, judging by some of the comment few do.
Test yourselves, how could by polar affected the behaviour of the Englishman executed for drug trafficking by the RPC ?

If you don't know then how solid is your understanding and probably prejudicial attitudes towards the mentally ill?

You have raised some interesting points re people's perceptions of the mentally ill examinator, some of them correct.

Having worked with many mentally ill patients over the years, I would like to say that there are many different mental illness diagnoses.

1 in 3 Australians will suffer from a form of mental illness at some time in their lifetime- usually depressive/anxiety illnesses.

Therefore the assertion that you are as likely to be hit by lightening as harmed by someone with a mental illness is really untrue isn't it?

I would hazard a guess that most murderers, unless they are killing in self-defense, would have to have some form of mental illness to be able to commit such an awful crime in the first place.

One has to have have learnt how to be violent or to have violent thoughts before you would be able to murder- eg, they have grown up in a violent household, with all the resulting mental illnesses this causes.

Martin Bryant, the guy who committed Australia's worst mass murders, was known to have had a pre-existing mental illness.

One doesn't have to have the really serious illnesses of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder to be considered mentally ill.

I believe many alcoholics and drug addicts have a substance abuse problem in order to lessen the symptoms of an underlying mental disorder. It is well known that murders are often committed by people under the influence of these substances.

Thus, Australia needs to provide much more facilities and staff to better manage our mentally disturbed people if we want to try and decrease the violence in our society.

Hmmm .. now please do correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't Bi-Polar the new term for what used to be called manic depression?

..

I think that the question that *ExaminatoR* raises is one of a fact to be determined by record, though I am unaware of an online resource which we could examine to form a substantive view.

Otherwise police records require a retarded, time consuming pieces of paper process in order to access them.

It is in the public domain though that the mentally ill are significantly over represented in the prison system, though without a new definition of what constitutes a mental illness, my view is that *Suze's* assertion that one needs to be mentally ill in order to murder is an incorrect one.

In the case of "Paranoid Schizophrenia" it may be that in reality that as a sub group that they are more likely to kill others due to the prominent state of consciousness which leads to them often interpreting threat where in reality none exists. Still, one published W.A. case comes to mind where both things were true.

..

1/2

2/2

A distressed individual turns up at Alma Street claiming to be persecuted by the Devil. He is turned away by some fool and promptly goes off, kills someone, and then himself.

..

A note from my experiences in Indonesia whilst having a looky looky in some of their institutions. Even though they appear as filthy, sh!t holes in a state of derision, they do retain some noble traits, i.m.h.o.

In the above case, the afflicted individual would have come, and a quick point from the door guard would have had him stuffed in a corridor or out back with the chooks, or perhaps hanging half out the window.

These places are invariably overflowing to the gunnels, but they do not turn people away.

They are also full of relatives, and many poppets would come to the afflicted and sit him down, give him some water, put their hands gently upon him, massage and stroke him gently, all the while doing tonals on him:

"Nah! Nah! Nah!"

and lull him into peacefulness ..

Eventually, some one would come running down the hall with a bag of drugs and needles, jab a needle in his bum .. and on it goes.

..

Few things disgust me more than political money grubbing doctors who value their over inflated opinion of themselves and their personal pay cheques in practical reality over the health of the afflicted.

From memory, the medicare rate for some specialists is something like $AU200+ per hour. But, pursuant to the self interested $#!$ of the A.ustralian M.oney grubbers A.ssociation, relevant practitioners put their hands out for up front payments of amounts in excess of $AU350, putting them out of reach of most other than someone's rich wife who has developed insecurity over her husband's philandering.

Dreamon doesn't believe most murderers may have a mental illness.
Have you ever worked with mental health clients dreamon? On what basis do you base your assertion?

I have worked in both a women's prison and a mental health unit. Believe me when I tell you that the criminals amongst them were far from 'normal'.

If the normal, sane people (if indeed there are many around!) were known to commit many murders, then I imagine there would be far more murders committed in our society.

At the end of the day, many people in our prison system are never diagnosed with a mental illness because they refuse to cooperate with the mental health professionals and tests offered to them.

That doesn't mean they aren't mentally ill.

Unless faced with an 'us or them' situation, the 'average' person does not commit murder. There is always something in their background to explain their behaviour (but not to excuse it).

*Posted by DreamOn, Sunday, 3 January 2010 3:33:15 PM*

" ... It is in the public domain though that the mentally ill are significantly over represented in the prison system, though without a new definition of what constitutes a mental illness, my view is that *Suze's* assertion that one needs to be mentally ill in order to murder is an incorrect one. ... "

To respond to your incoherent line of reasoning *SuzE* the last mental health patient that I worked with was a patient with ADD who later developed an amphetamine psychosis, likely as a result of shooting up too much "rock" with his Hep positive girlfriend who hung herself over the bedroom door after he dumped her for someone else.

..

The fact remains, *ExaminatoR's* question turns on a matter of record, not your narrow opinion.

As stated, I don't know what the numbers in the record show, but also having some qualification at a tertiary level in Legals, I am reasonably certain from studies in Criminology that crime is not predicated on mental illness, including murder.

That is not to say that some people who commit "murder" do not have a mental illness, but you speak in terms of absolutes, which to me attests to your lack of tertiary training, or perhaps that you achieved at a sub optimal rate.

Another basis, I have one friend who is ex-military, who maintains a very hard line against thieves and home invaders, and keeps a variety of weapons for the purposes of "protection." The only good thief in his view, is a dead one. He has no certification for "mental illness."

A recent televised incident in Texas, with two home invaders spotted by a gun slinging neighbour. He phoned 911 to report his intent. BANG! BANG! No criminal charge. No mental illness. 2 dead thieves.

No, your assertion that "sane" people do not commit murder unless in an "us or them" situation is a nonsense. What about the deaths caused during domestic disputes whilst one partner is in a "moment of rage?"

Dear Examinator,

From my understanding mental disorder
is the psychological inability to cope
realistically and effectively with the
ordinary challenges of life. Mentally
disordered people violate social norms
concerning reality. Their behaviour can
range from irrational depression to
delusions, hallucinations, and fractured
forms of thought and speech.

The behaviour of such people may be
unpredictable, incomprehensible, or even
frightening to others, making mutual
social interaction difficult or even
impossible. Consequently, that's the
reason mental disorder attracts the
stigma of deviance - a stigma that may
linger even if the sufferer of the disorder
should return to normality.

I'm not sure what the stats are but I
wouldn't be surprised if one adult in five
would be given as suffering from some sort
of mental problems such as severe anxiety and
depression, although not many people try to
get professional help.

I believe that there's wide disagreement on
exactly what constitutes mental disorder.
Behaviour that might seem disturbed in one
context (talking to oneself - or flying into
a rage) might be acceptable or understandable
in another.

To complicate matters - part of the problem
may also lie in the fact that most mental
disorders have no known physical cause or
definitive symptoms. This means that there's
rarely a simple, clinical test to determine
if and how someone is mentally disordered.
The decision depends on the opinion of trained
observers - who frequently disagree among
themselves.

Well said Foxy. You always manage to put forward your views without the need to put someone else's views down, unlike the charming dreamon.

So Dreamon, I am narrow-minded and I must have achieved a tertiary education at a 'sub-optimal level' because I don't agree with you?
You must have really low self esteem if you feel such a need to put somebody else down in order to feel better about yourself.

I never said ALL murderers would have a mental illness at all. I merely speculated that a great deal of them would have to be mentally ill to some degree.

I would hazard a guess that people who harm each other in domestic violence situations would most likely have a degree of mental illness from repeated instances of mental fear and physical abuse, wouldn't you?

As Foxy said "..there's rarely a simple, clinical test to determine
if and how someone is mentally disordered.
The decision depends on the opinion of trained observers - who frequently disagree among themselves."

So true.

Well, if you will make silly statements of absolutism without anything to back it up but hot wind you may expect your comments to be criticized.

As for *FoxyLoxy* I do appreciate her presence, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, but in this case, whilst she makes some astute comments from a lay perspective, she clearly is not well versed in this area, as distinct from some others.

Observation, is something largely that nurses are for, to give some preliminary indicators as to the underlying pathology.

For example, if someone is having a merry old conversation but no one is in attendance, it is likely that they are experiencing "auditory hallucinations."

(and apologies for my earlier comments re:paranoid schiz - I should have qualified it by stating those who are unstabilised and florid, as opposed to seemingly decent permanent and stabilised chaps like *Stuart* as featured in *Examinator's" linky.)

As for clinical tests well, mental illness can come about for a large range of reasons. For example:

1. A person may go loopy post unprotected sex and syphillus infection - easily enough detected and easily enough treated.

2. There could be structural abnormalities in the brain, as a result of genetics or trauma, cancer or tumor - easily enough scanned and detected, not always easily treated.

3. Conditions such as HaemaChromatosis/Iron storage problems can result in psychological issues - easily enough detected and easily enough treated though.

4. Perhaps one has a tumor on the adrenal medulla, leading to excess catecholamine production - easily enough detected ...

and so on.

..

What *Foxy* alludes to in terms of the difficulty of accurately assessing some conditions are those usually of the neurochemical variety, and the blood brain barrier combined with the limits of current med tech are as they are,

HOWEVER

1/2

Seems to me that the real fruitcakes are those who aren't mentally ill.

Dear Dream On,

Of course I'm not an expert on the subject and am
only talking from a lay person's point of view.
However, I am in the habit of researching my topics.
(Occuptational habit - as a Librarian).

Anyway, I found some interesting data given by
Ian Robertson, in his book, "Sociology," which
you may accept more readily, than my 'Lay person's"
point of view. Robertson tells us:

"In the past, most societies, attributed mental
illness to supernatural influences: victims were
believed to be 'possessed' by evil spirits that
had entered the body. Over 4,000 years ago, the
Egyptians chipped holes in the skulls of mentally
disordered people to allow these spirits to escape;
and centuries later, the medieval Church tried to
exorcise the demons, often by flogging, drowning,
burning, or hanging the people they supposedly
inhabited... in the eighteenth century, physicians
began to claim that mental disorder was a medical
problem - an "illness" best dealt with by doctors.
A medical model was applied to the behaviour;
in other words, physicians came to 'diagnose'
and 'treat' the 'patient' for a specific
'disease,' just as they might in the case of a physical
ailment."

According to Robertson this trend accelerated in the
late nineteenth century, when newly available
sedatives and tranquilizers made it possible to suppress
some symptoms of disordered behaviour.

However, Robertson states that to this day,
psychiatrists are unable to cure most mental
disorders through any conventional medical
means, and many critics question whether the medical
method is always appropriate.

A few mental disorders do result from physical damage
to the brain: these are universally regarded however
as physical disorders and are treated by neurologists
rather than psychiatrists. However, no consistent
physical causes are known for the remaining disorders.
The most serious of this type is 'psychosis.'
A profound mental disturbance involving a severe break
with reality that the affected person cannot function
in society.

Our society has improved a lot in the way we view mental illness. I think campaigns like Beyond Blue have certainly helped with understanding depression. There is probably less understanding or knowledge of illnesses like bi-polar or schizophrenia.

While, there are cases where the mentally ill have committed crimes due to 'voices in the head' there is also an equal responsibility to ensure that the mentally ill are well cared for and have good support networks for their own protection as well as others. Demonising those with mental illness only makes the problem worse.

I am not a mental health expert but have dealt with mentally ill people in various public exposed jobs, particularly those who have schizophrenia usually bought about by long term drug use and many homeless people with PTSD (Vietnam Vets for example) or other illness.

I found it quite sad when dealing with mentally ill people who believed in their persecutions. It was quite a learning curve for me. Many of the common manifestations I experienced with Schizophrenics or other illnesses were notions like: lasers in the head; mind control; being followed by CIA among others; the reading of codes in everything they see whether it be papers, number plates or traffic signs; being microchipped against their will and seeing spacecraft were many of the common manifestations.

Law enforcement officers are now trained to deal with mental illness and in strategies in negotiating when in difficult situations. It is not an easy task.

I don't know if there has been an increase in mental illness or whether there is less support but the occurrence of mental illness appears (anecdotally) to be increasing.

The thing to remember is any person whether they have a mental illness or not just wants to be treated with respect and dignity. Public perceptions of mental illness are better than they were many years ago but more needs to be done on the healthcare front.

Aha a librarian! hey Foxy! I did suspect as much. How come librarians are now so pretty? My childhood ones were old and spinsterish crones.... at least 40. (he he) Ours used to scowl at me over her glasses because I didn't read classical literature, instead of always non fiction. Today I'm sorry I didn't, might have improved my prose and style!

Recent literature suggests that many of the "common" problems do in fact have a physical cause, malfunctioning brain chemical production, brought about by a genetically acquired predisposition. much the same as alcohol, nicotine and drug abuse addictions.

Often there is a trigger to the onset. This is very individualistic, a dramatic emotional dislocation or even puberty.
Both Bipolar and Schizophrenia are examples there of.

Like all things genetics the individual's predisposition and subsequent suffering if at all, can run the gambit from non existent to diabolical. Just because a person has the genes it doesn't mean absolutely the person *will* go on to be sufferer.

The latest 'depression' medication are Serotonin (brain chemical) stimulators (SSRI) which has a flow on effect in stimulating the correct levels of dopamine etc in the brain. There are other chemical anti-spasmodics, anti-psychotic and good old Lithium.

This seems to indicate a physically basis, just the specifics are currently unknown.

Suzeonline has obviously dealt with the extreme end of the continuoum.

As I understand it, Dreamon is correct that a person need not be suffering from a mental illness to kill. Likewise a person who is 'mentally ill' is not necessarily automatically unfit to stand trial.

The executed person in question allegedly suffered from Bipolar, but as this is an episodic ailment his fitness to plea should been judged on his state of mind, at the time of the crime. i.e.depending on severity and if he was appropriately medicated ,he may or may not have been psychotic at the time therefore, he would have been as competent as you or I. Well, maybe you.

The lightening bit is a quote from the site posted and statistically valid.

Dear Examinator,

I'm sorry that your experiences with librarians
have been rather negative by the sound of it.
After all they're supposed to be novel lovers!
(giggle).

As for being pretty - I'm too tall and lanky to fit that
description. (I tend to associate pretty with petite).

Anyway, your take on things is interesting.

I'm inclined to believe that primarily people's earlier
social and psychological experiences contribute towards
people's mental disorders, although I suppose that
hormonal and other biological factors may make at least
some people more vunerable to certain disorders. Also
part of the problem is that symptoms, unlike those of
physical diseases such as lung cancer are culturally
variable.

A judgement about someone's sanity depends to some extent
on the assumptions of the culture (or subculture) and of
the individual making the judgement. Studies show that
psychiatrists disagree about 20% of the time on the
question - whether someone is psychotic or not, and about
50% of the time on the question of which particular psychosis
a diagnosed psychotic is suffering from.

As you know Jeff Kennett in Victoria emptied mental facilities
during his reign as Premier (ironically on his retirement - he
worked for 'Beyond Blue'). It was his attempt to cut public
spending. The results in some cases were tragic. Tens of
thousands of seriously disordered people were "returned to the
community" where, isolated and abandoned, they were forced to
live in dilapidated urban houses, and eke out an existence
on permanent welfare, or even were seen out on the streets
of the suburbs of Melbourne.

The succeeding Labor Government recognised the disaster
created by the previous Government and is slowly
funding suburban housing for the mentally handicapped
by placing them in modern purpose-built residential
housing in suburbia suitable for four or five residents
and their carers.

2/2

< ..snip..>

Of course, its worth noting that aberrant behavior is only the symptom of the internal pathology.

So, when someone like the chap in the vid is expressing concerns about fears of *Big Red* surveillance, what likely was occurring is that he had "neurochemical" paranoia, a fundamentally altered state of consciousness wherein the brain interprets external stimuli in an entirely different manner and that can be identified by mapping out thought form cohesion.

This combined with auditory and or visual hallucinations,

(which are real auditory and visual experiences but ones that only have reality within the mind of the afflicted and are likely an echo of sorts of the patients own consciousness stream)

AND

an individual can really truly start to live in abject terror of the things that he/she was already afraid of, both potentially seeing and hearing, (and other senses can be affected too) those things which confirm his/her own beliefs.

So Stuart fresh from stomping about in RuskyVille fears what used to be the KGB, the Christian experiences persecution of the Devil etc etc,

Part of the problem to me in helping people with this is that "we" are not taught to critique the emanations of our own minds sufficiently, that is to say, we tend to believe the interpretations that our own brain offers up in consciousness. We are not taught that our brain can generate error. Indeed, in my view, insufficient regard is given to the noble art of meditation/observing our own thought forms, stabilising and critiqing them in an objective, analytical manner.

t.b.c.

Also, it wasn't until Uni that I came to know from learning that an individual could experience sensory hallucinations such as those of the more common auditory and visual variety.

Thus, afflicted individuals, not knowing this and in an attempt to understand the nature of their perceptions, come up with theories about space person tech, intelligence agency surveillance etc etc

So for *Pelican* a gentle introduction of another theory if you still practice with those afflicted may be appropriate- perhaps something like this:

"Well, it could be an agency, it could be E.T., .. but it also could be an echo of your own thoughts that has just got really loud (or graphic, or smelly etc)"

"And how would we know? Well, is it somehow connected with your own thoughts in a strange kind of way? ... "

..

A bit of spit and polish on some of *Examinator's* comments:

Yes, physical causes - Wikipedia contains reasonable overviews of the "Dopamine and Glutamate hypotheses" and of course we can lace medications with medical isotopes, "see" where they bind and measure outcomes.

Yes, visa vi genetics whilst some likely candidates have been identified, no one specific gene or set of genes has been identified as definitely being the culprits with conditions which produce hallucinations and altered states (psychosis, paranoia etc)

SSRI - Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitor. They aren't stimulators or agonists or partial agonists

(those substances which bind to a particular receptor type and enhances its efficacy/energy potential/relative activity level)

but rather inhibit the re-consumption/re-uptake of the serotonin which has already been released by the neurone, whereas the agonists increase overall levels of production.

Thanks DreamOn.

I do still come into contact with those afflicted from time to time although not as much as in a previous job.

After a while I did learn how to deal with people and managed to talk them around for the most part into considering perhaps the messages were coming from within - so to speak. Perhaps the way they were interpreting those stimuli were being mixed up. Sometimes there was no possibility of getting through.

I did get the sense sometimes that some were partly aware that what they were saying was a bit 'suspect'. Often if I challenged in a gentle way - say a spaceship in the back yard and asked if their son or daughter could call next time the spaceship landed to confirm the "sighting" so I could pass on the details to the appropriate authorities - there would be a pause as if something deep inside of them sensed that they were aware of the possibility that what they experienced might not be real.

It was as if in some cases the person had come to identify with their state of being (if that is the right way to put it) and it was all they had in terms of their identity. I can't think of another way to express it but I did on occasion get that sense from a couple of regulars.

Sometimes people just wanted someone to talk to and after not being able to get onto Sane or to Lifeline would pick our number to ring.

It was a real eye opener and made me realise that we are lucky to have all our faculties in order to get through life. It is very difficult for the mentally ill to function and be accepted as Examinator said in 'normal' society.

Dear Pelly,

How right you are. It is hard for people
with mental disorders.

Two things made an impression on me -
growing up. The first was in my initial
library position in a public library - where
an older member of staff suffered from
incontenance - and used to walk around the
library with a wet patch on the back of her skirt.
No one dared say anything to her. Finally I could
stand it no longer and one day took her aside
and gently suggested her bringing spare underwear
and leaving it at work in her locker. I tried to
tell her that it was bad for her health wise - to be
walking around in winter with wet pants. For her own
sake - she needed to take some preventative measures.
I also recommended her talking to her GP about her
problem. She did and guess what - she never had that
problem at work again.

Then I was in a chemist when an obviously mentally
challenged individual
asked for a bottle of vitamin tablets - and got
very confused when the staff member began to quote
all the different brand names. All he wanted was a
bottle of multi-vitamins, which he'd been entrusted to
buy by his carers. Simple task - you'd have thought.
But not for the staff member apparently. I ended up
suggesting to the staff member (middle aged woman
who should have known better) that perhaps she could
recommend a multi-vitamin bottle to the young man?
The young man beamed
at me, bought the bottle the staff member recommended
and walked out of the shop happy.

It isn't easy - because often people try to avoid
situations they don't know how to handle.

Very true Foxy.

I felt very out of my depth at first when dealing with mental ill people until I realised that we are all the same. It was really about dealing with my own fear of the unknown.

The mentally ill, more than most, just want to be accepted and treated with dignity. Often they are more at risk of self harm, homelessness and harm from others than the other way around.

Good , intelligent, real thinking responses, thank you every-one.

Pelican was on the money for the overall point I was attempting to make.
I respect people who can or have dealt with the 'mentally ill' properly. Suzeonline has shown those traits .

Dreamon's superior knowledge, "ouch", was appreciated.

Foxy great stuff, as usual. With your attitudes it's a good thing we didn't meet in our early 20's.... I would have been absolutely broken hearted when you married your soul mate, knowing that it wasn't me! :-(.

Seriously, your anecdote sets you apart from the average. Most would have either ignored the event or been annoyed at having to wait for service.

I worked for a television company in Camberwell when colour TV came in.
One day an (obviously mentally challenged)woman came in and She stood watching cartoons on the new biggest colour TV(68cm.) as she had done before, squealing and clapping, seeing her the other floor staff disappeared, leaving me "on guard".
She said she liked my store because “You don't mind me watching the cartoons".
Then she pointed to the biggest and said "I want it".
Next she pointed to a small TV, after that a video player and repeated "I want it".
Not believing there was a sale but what was the harm in playing along? "which one?"
she said "all!". clapping her hands excitedly.
Keep in mind that at that time each item was about $1500 each.
I asked " How would you like to pay for them madam cash or bankcard?"

She handed me a card and said "ring him" really jumping up and down excitedly like a child.

It was for a 'Public Trustees' manager.
He told me that they administered her trust.
He asked what she wanted and the prices...I told him, including a discount for bulk ....He gave me a purchase order.

*Apparently she had been in all the shops in the area but no-one had treated her like a customer, with respect*
A weeks sales target in one sale!
My crisis intervention training worked. Always treat everyone as a person.

Posted by pelican, Monday, 4 January 2010 7:34:12 PM

" ... It was as if in some cases the person had come to identify with their state of being (if that is the right way to put it) and it was all they had in terms of their identity. ... "

Yes, I think that is a very astute observation. With some conditions, it appears that certain areas of the brain become hyperactive to the exclusion of others. Certainly, it is common that afflicted individuals have constant and repetitive thought forms and feelings, of their own admission. And of course, whether or not they like it, they become the "immobilised" observer of the maelstrom of dysfunctional and aberrant thought forms and feelings raging over and over, around and around in their consciousness, barely if at all being able to originate a thought of their "own."

Thus, if you have the same thoughts and feelings over and over, and assuming the individual comes to terms with that to the extent of not committing or attempting to commit suicide (and of course suicide does occur)then it is perhaps a natural progression that the individual comes to identify with this new branch, for want of a better term, of his/her personality, and what was once "normal," gradually fades into but fragments of times gone by.

After the initial fear has passed, it may even feel empowering to the individual to have a sense that they see and hear things which others do not, and delusions of grandeur are common, subscribing such phenomena as the ability to "speak with the dead" or other delusional beliefs as described in posts in this thread.

And if an individual is consumed with the maelstrom within, then they as a consequence will develop a diminished capacity to deal with sensory perception originating from the external environment. Thus, being consumed to the point of obsession with the world within, and often these individuals have little or no choice in that regard, their attention to matters of finance etc is of course, extremely limited.

Dear Examinator,

What a lovely charmer you are.
Making my heart skip a beat,
then blush. Thank You so much.

Thank You also for your incredible story
about the young lady and the
coloured TV's. Awesome experience -
and - a good lesson.

“how could by polar affected the behaviour of the Englishman executed for drug trafficking by the RPC”

Ah that’s right.. blame it on a dubious "bipolar disorder" (just like all those bodgey Compo claims for back strains which never showed up in X-rays) –

and footnote, he was a “Pakistani” with a history of failed business ventures behind him …

so drug peddling was probably just the new “opportunity of choice” for this dusky entrepreneur

and the “bipolar disorder” the new excuse of choice for every other drug peddling opportunist scumbag who drifts from one country to country, leaving a litany of failure and debts behind him.

“Bipolar disorder” is no more an excuse for being an fraudulently irresponsible failure as it is for being a trafficker in death and despair

As someone who knew someone who was murdered by a girl suffering cannabis induced schizophrenia, I have no sympathy for those who seek to make a living from illicit drugs

A dead drug trafficker will always represent a good outcome,

regardless what way he or she meets their final demise

Dear Examinator,

This is a bit off topic - but
Thanks for your referral to the
film "Avatar," in 3-D.

We saw it yesterday.

I enjoyed it very much -
the graphics were wonderful,
as were all the references to
ancient cultures and customs.

Awesome experience!
One I'll be thinking about
for quite some time.