Schizophrenia’S Cries Call To Us

He is 66 years old, but his eyes look much older. The sadness in his face makes you want to look away, because you know the history behind the sadness, and it’s an awful one. The man is Russell Weston Sr. His son, Russell Jr., is schizophrenic.

The son’s madness apparently prompted him to shoot and kill at the nation’s Capitol on July 24. The father, bent over with despair at a press conference a few days later, apologized for his son’s actions. He did not play the blame game. He didn’t blame a mental health system or a national security system that knew about his son’s problems and perhaps could have prevented the carnage.

He didn’t blame because Weston - after decades of seeing his son deconstruct from mental illness - knows there are no ready scapegoats with schizophrenia.

This disease of the mind is filled with tragic ironies. It most often hits men and women in their early 20s, and many of its victims have led steady lives until then. It cannot be cured, but a new generation of drugs has helped many lead OK lives, especially if the drug treatment is combined with good community support.

So some of the 2 million victims of the disease are working successfully toward good health. For instance, Dave Rottmayer of Spokane wrote a Your Turn column for this newspaper a few months ago. He is 29 and controlling his illness through medication, work, family and community support. He said, “I would consider my life to be worthwhile if I did all I could to eradicate stereotypes surrounding schizophrenia.”

There are many good programs for people with schizophrenia and their families. The Spokane Alliance for the Mentally Ill offers information and groups. Spokane Mental Health’s Evergreen Club offers social interaction, job training and other opportunities.

Still, some victims suffer and harm others. Russell Weston Jr. stopped taking the medication that might have helped him. Because of civil rights concerns, there is little that the law or mental health agencies can do to force a person with schizophrenia to take medication.

This is one area where Weston’s father called for change. He urged that schizophrenic patients be released from institutional care on the condition they stay on medication. If they go off the drugs, they should be hospitalized, even against their will.

Changing our laws to acknowledge the reality of schizophrenia is one step to preventing more tragedies. It won’t bring back the two dead Capitol officers. It won’t return a son to sanity. Russell Weston Sr. said to the nation, “I’m so sorry.” Now, so is everyone.