A state of mind [updated]

I listen to a lot of NPR. I also read a lot of blogs. I'm sure that this skews my view on current events quite a bit, especially when I'm overseas and don't have access to your average American TV and radio soundbites. From listening to NPR, it would seem that in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting, there has been a lot of discussion back home about mental illness. Is this true? Or is it just NPR? See, my family has a history of mental illness, going back several generations, and I - as the bearer of these high quality genetics - have dealt with this as well. It's a topic that, while certainly discussed in the US more commonly than in the past, is still shunned by the mainstream populace when at all possible. Two of the NPR podcasts that I'd like to recommend on this topic are: Predicting Violence and Forced Treatment. Additionally, if you're coming to this blog looking for information on Korea, let me refer you to a recent post at the Marmot's Hole entitled Coping With Depression and Mental Illness, which addresses that utter lack of mental health care in South Korea.

UPDATE: I'd also like to add Identifying and Treating Severe Mental Illness from the Diane Rehm show to my list of recommended discussions on this topic.