It Must be a full moon!!

[JennyFromTheRock]

My husband just told me about his trip to LD today.... I guess we can add it to the list of super weird / rude encounters posted here this week!!!

So him and my 2 year old son were at LD getting some diapers and Palmolive.... while walking down one of the isles, a lady behind him yelled out "Hey, I'm not holding him!!" in a mean voice...... my husband just looked back but didnt say anything. Next she yells at him "HEY YOU!!! Get those demonic thoughts out of your head" my husband turned around and asked "excuse me, are you talking to me?" and then she flipped out, swearing a yelling then stormed away.

Now, I wasn't there, but I can assume that she had mental health issues. My husband was approached by another lady a few moments later who asked if the lady had said anything to him. Apparently, she had made comments to her as well.

My husband went to customer service, and told the CSR.... apparently, she is a regular customer, who usually yells at Employees but never at customers ( although several people today complained ). I just can't believe that they let someone who has such violent tendencies out like that alone. My poor 2 year old herd his first cuss words today, from a 50 year old lady

[ChristieJ]

Very sad to hear. I feel like Canada isn't addressing or meeting the needs of its residents who are struggling with their mental health. I really wish we had a national mental health strategy. After all, they deserve their optimal health and dignity too.

[JennyFromTheRock]

Very sad to hear. I feel like Canada isn't addressing or meeting the needs of its residents who are struggling with their mental health. I really wish we had a national mental health strategy. After all, they deserve their optimal health and dignity too.

They do, they deserve constant care as well, not to be left out where they could potentially cause harm to themselves or others. My husband said it didn't dawn upon him until the end that she had mental health issues.... but my husband is a very docile and soft spoken man. Imagine walking up to the wrong person and having an outburst like that?? Down town, or in the wrong area?? A person who cannot function properly like that needs an attendant.

[Minou]

Wow, I hope she doesn't do something to someone. Sounds like the police should have been called.

[hollyquaiscer]

I'm actually quite surprised that the staff would let her into the store if she yells at them. If they were aware that this poor lady has some issues, it's sad that they let her even have the opportunity to perhaps have an encounter with their customers. I would think it would be the stores job to keep the enviroment safe for customers, and if she does this on a regular basis, it would only be a matter of time till she turned her outbursts toward customers. I'm assuming your talking about LTS....I think I might know the lady in questions as I have seen her there myself.

Our healthcare system has failed so many, and not only are these people getting into issues that they shouldn't, but innocent people are starting to get hurt. I hope the staff have now realized that this lady has the potential to be a danger not only to customers, but herself.

[greencanuck]

Unfortunately, over the past decades, our federal and provincial government has systematically dismantled most funding for support for people with mental health problems.

Many of these poor people have no where to go and no one to care for them.
The few programs that are left are drastically underfunded and understaffed.
Even in crisis situations, people have months of waiting for programs that have few resources.

[saveadollardiva]

OH NO! Sorry to hear your DH and son had to go through that! I don't know why LD would let her in if she is like this? But I do agree, I think Canada needs to start doing something to help people with mental illnesses.

[BCSparkyGirl]

She has issues, yes, but it does not mean she has to be locked up away from the world. My cousin's son is autistic and makes occasional outbursts in public, but does that make him an animal that needs to be locked away? No. Being out in the world is good therapy for many of these individuals, and some of the comments here I find somewhat offensive. Just because the lady has a disorder that causes her to have outbursts at others DOES NOT mean she is a danger to anyone. Yes, you may feel uncomfortable, but imagine what she goes through for just an hour in her life. Lets try a little compassion, hmm?

[JennyFromTheRock]

She has issues, yes, but it does not mean she has to be locked up away from the world. My cousin's son is autistic and makes occasional outbursts in public, but does that make him an animal that needs to be locked away? No. Being out in the world is good therapy for many of these individuals, and some of the comments here I find somewhat offensive. Just because the lady has a disorder that causes her to have outbursts at others DOES NOT mean she is a danger to anyone. Yes, you may feel uncomfortable, but imagine what she goes through for just an hour in her life. Lets try a little compassion, hmm?

I don't think anyone said she should be locked up?? Its not about being locked up at all.... it about having a personal care attendant to protect her and people around her. She deserves her dignity as much as the next person.... and as the next person ( my 2 year old ) he deserves not to be put in fear of a grown up. He isnt old enough to understand mental health issues, so when an adult does things like that in his or any childs presence it can cause them unnecessary fear.

Its a loose loose situation.

[JennyFromTheRock]

I'm actually quite surprised that the staff would let her into the store if she yells at them. If they were aware that this poor lady has some issues, it's sad that they let her even have the opportunity to perhaps have an encounter with their customers. I would think it would be the stores job to keep the enviroment safe for customers, and if she does this on a regular basis, it would only be a matter of time till she turned her outbursts toward customers. I'm assuming your talking about LTS....I think I might know the lady in questions as I have seen her there myself.

Our healthcare system has failed so many, and not only are these people getting into issues that they shouldn't, but innocent people are starting to get hurt. I hope the staff have now realized that this lady has the potential to be a danger not only to customers, but herself.

I hope so as well. My husband and son, as well as at least 1 other person ( the customer who spoke to my husband about it ) were both attacked yesterday. Not to mention as my husband was leaving..... she was leaving too and hears the kicker......DROVE away!!!! If she has rage like that to strangers in a store, lets just pray she doesn't have the same road rage!!!!

And yes it was at the Sunridge LD.

[wolfwoman]

2 personal care attendents for people with these issues have been killed in our area in the last year BY the people they were caring for. And that is saying something given the size of our town.

[JennyFromTheRock]

2 personal care attendents for people with these issues have been killed in our area in the last year BY the people they were caring for. And that is saying something given the size of our town.

Wow, thats terrible!!

[newwestcouponer]

2 personal care attendents for people with these issues have been killed in our area in the last year BY the people they were caring for. And that is saying something given the size of our town.

I believe that. My boyfriend works in mental health for people with co-occurring disorders (ie. mental health and substance abuse issues) and they threaten him constantly. Though he has a degree in psychology, he is not trained to be dealing with some of the shiz thrown his way. They're seriously underfunded and they really have no recourse if the people in his assisted living facility threaten him or become violent.
I totally empathize with your DH's experience, Jenny. That would be frightening...But she has her own demons that she can't control. Not like some of the jerks I run into, who have no decorum and no excuse!

[westcoastblondie]

I've been going back and forth on whether or not I would actually reply to this because it's evident from most of the messages above that people really don't know about mental illness.

First and foremost, I'd like to say that I am sorry that your son was fearful after hearing this woman. Take solace in the fact that your child did have their father there with them to comfort him and remember that parents are in childrens lives to protect them in instances like that and to teach them that there are all kinds of people in this world. Yeah, you're right he is only two so he doesn't know what it's about right now, but he will learn one day.

Mental illness is not now, nor should it ever be a reason to be turned away from entering a store or being in public, or for that matter, driving. Someone with only one leg would instill fear in a young child as well, and most likely in the adults around just as this woman did, but it seems silly to turn someone away from a store because they only have one leg. They can't control that they have one leg, just as I'm sure this woman can't control the issues that she has. Hearing things like "I can't believe that LD even let her in knowing she's like that" or "She should have an attendant" is, I believe, the majority of the reason why when people suffer from mental illness they're not willing to turn to anyone about it.

There is so much stigma in this country that someone suffering from mental illness is broken, unfixable, and like I've read above not worthy of being in public or even driving. That is why people don't want anyone to know and why people don't tell others. Once someone proclaims their mental illness to anyone, they stop being a person and become a stigma. And the truth is, they don't need an attendant to come with them to wherever they go, what they need is understanding. There could be a million and one reasons why this woman is having outbursts and may or may not be taking medication for it. Maybe she doesn't have insurance and thus cannot afford the medication, maybe she is taking another medication and the two together are making her angry like this (this does happen sometimes and doctors really don't know), maybe they make her sick and she's been unable to find pills that don't cause her illness, or maybe she just doesn't want to. Regardless of the reason, that is her right until the police or medical officials say otherwise.

And in reality, everyone experiences some sort of road rage in their life. Just as every person who has every worked as a cashier or in some sort of retail environment has experienced being yelled at by someone who was having a bad day. No, she should not have been yelling at customers, but I have got to believe in my hardest of hearts, that if this is something that happens or has happened more than once in that store, someone of all the staff who work there or customers who have visited there (if they are truly worried for her) would have the sense to call the police and not just write her off as someone else's problem.

Perhaps suggesting to them the option of calling the police, not necessarily to have her arrested but to have someone to help her might be an idea. If explained that it's believed she suffers from mental illness and is scaring people from her outbursts, the police might be able to provide her help. If she truly is slipping through the cracks, the police would be able to bring light to that. Maybe they will bring it up to her family and maybe they will take her directly to the doctors herself. They're trained to help in situations of those. And, if that happens and it's believed she truly is a danger, they're legally able to intervene. Until that point, if no one is going to do anything to help her then no one deserves the right to judge whether or not she should be allowed into a store or to drive or in public in general.

To bring this incredibly long (what seems to be now) rant to a close, understanding is the greatest thing that you can give to someone suffering from mental illness... whether they're 15 or 50. Like I said above, I am sorry that your son was fearful of the woman, but he did have is dad there to protect him, and in time I'm sure that you and your husband can teach him all about this type of stuff. I hear a lot of talk on tv and in media in this country about changing the stigma surrounding mental health and I truly, truly hope that one day it does change. I hope that one day people are able to realize the value of understanding and help are worth so much more than any judgement could ever provide.

I apologize if anyone has taken offense to this, that was not my intention. I just wanted to provide another way to view the situation.

[Minou]

The idea that she's accusing people of having "demonic thoughts" and then yelling at them really causes alarm bells to go off . Vince Li thought that his victim was an alien before killing him and eating his flesh on that Greyhound Bus. I completely agree that there needs to be more help for these people, and I think that alerting authorities to a potential problem may result in help/medication for the person as well as averting a senseless attack on someone around them.