In order to resolve any misunderstandings concerning my editorial about mental illnesses in our last issue of The Nicholls Worth, I believe I should shed some light on the situation.

Editorials are based on the majority opinion of an editorial board.

Therefore, I will clear up some points. First, I apologize if I offended any reader that may have misinterpreted my words. I was in no way attacking the mentally ill.

In my editorial, I mentioned and I clarified that just because you have a mental illness, does not mean you will murder people in mass numbers.

My point was to make readers aware of those types of illnesses and help people understand the amount of horrid happenings that have shocked our nation that were related to mental illnesses in the past few years. Proof of this can be exemplified through the shooter that killed two young people and injured several others in Lafayette.

Regarding my point of awareness, how does expressing concern of a disease that takes over the mind discourage people to get the help they need? If anything, it should encourage someone to get treatment. To further this point, I acknowledge that some illnesses are beyond control, but can still be treated voluntarily. Even though some patients cannot afford treatment, we should work as a society to make that change.

The difference between mental illness and any other illness such as cancer or Aids is that physical diseases do not attack the mind. If you look further in to it, brain tumors can cause some mental disease, but it is only true if there is nothing that can be done or treatment is refused. We should never be prejudice and that was definitely not intended in the editorial.

I cannot be prejudice. I know what it is like to take care of a mentally ill person and it is very difficult. To see someone so close to you become a completely different person so quickly is scary and furthers my belief of how it is important to get treatment. Treatment for violence-related illnesses can be stopped with the proper care.

It is extremely important to get treatment for mental illnesses because it only gets worse. Once someone has a mental illness, it will never go away. It will not get better if it is left unattended. As people age on the outside, age and body chemistry also change on the inside. Medication wears off eventually, and the body becomes immune to the drug of treatment.

I would also like to respond to the insinuation that “guns kill people:” it takes a person to kill another. It takes a person to pull the trigger; a gun will not fire unless it is being drawn.

There is no ignorance to be discussed said of “no one needs an AK47 in their closet.” I do believe that having tighter background checks should be encouraged. However, when our founding fathers wrote the United States Constitution, I do not believe that they meant for civilians to have heavy firearms within reach.

No matter what is thought about editorials or columns, it does not stop any newspaper of prestigious value from publishing opinion.