Mental illness a threat to us all

The city of Seattle was stunned Wednesday after having experienced a rampaging murderer in its midst.

Yet, the brother of this gunman said, “We saw it coming.” The family had watched the alarming behavior get worse over the years with very little they could do.

The amount of help available for families with mentally ill members is less because of the economy and state budget woes. What people do not realize is by not making treatment for mental illness as important as cardiac care, they are neglecting a silent danger that may erupt into a public nightmare like we saw on Wednesday.

Priorities must change to provide a way to effectively help these families and intervene before it is too late.

Marietta Alexander

Everett

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