title: Madness in America: holding a rational conversation.
abstract: The random, unexpected killing of 20 innocent children in Newtown, CT, touched us all. Targeting people with mental illness who use firearms as the problem in such tragedies is a poor simplification. Delivery of quality care for complex chronic health problems like severe mental illness and substance abuse requires a systematic coordinated effort with resources and expert capacity. We need a health care system that can assess and provide care for the severely mentally ill who may be at risk for becoming violent. Let's challenge the status quo and not simply blame mental illness for these tragedies. As the largest health profession in this country, nurses can make a difference by using the evidence regarding mental illness and violence to hold crucial and rational conversations.
authors.affiliation: Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Gardner
mesh_terms: D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States