Dear Editor:
To all those wondering, I am the 60-year-old Painter woman who was stabbed the night of Aug. 25.
I want to address this issue because it was my daughter who wielded the knife, yet it was not my daughter. She has a mental illness that led to this and it was not her who committed this act.
The stigma of mental illness and the absence of proper facilities to treat those that need treatment still exists in this state and this country. She has asked for help multiple times when she knows there is an issue. However, the hospitals won’t keep patients long enough to ensure proper treatment.
Instead of nasty emails and messages being sent to her and inaccurate news articles regarding the situation, maybe try giving support to an individual that could use support, and reach out to your congressman and governor to improve mental health care in this state.
You would do that if it was an illness like cancer or heart disease. Stop the stigma.
Diana Harrison, Painter