I'm sorry for what you and your friends have had to endure. The sharing of your stories, Fenway, serves as a powerful reminder to us that so many people are suffering and desperate. I'm reminded of Thoreau's quote, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." As an elementary school teacher, I have come to realize how many students in my school have already experienced trauma. What I see as "acting out" may well be a very reasonable response to past or current physical and mental injuries. And this is the United States, I can't fathom the damage done to children in far more dangerous parts of the world. If we're truly a compassionate country, we would make access to quality mental health services available to all. And we'd damn well realize how stupid it is to stigmatize people who depend upon these services. No one is immune from trauma or mental illness.

Peter T.