I know a little about mental illness. My experience arises out of dozens of mental health professionals involved in my family over the last decade and years working in management of a community mental health organization. On occasion, I argue this experience makes me the ultimate consumer, able to provide insight into this profession as an outsider.

The recent events in Tucson illustrate a paradox within our society that we seem to only address on a case by case basis and not as a whole.

The issue? Where is the line between criminality and insanity?

I keep in touch with a couple of the reporters who covered our story over the last decade. Talking to one of them recently about the lack of resources for the mentally ill in this state, the reporter remarked “We have not done a thing since John Hyde. Or Patricia”.

The comment shocked me a bit. I am not sure I was comfortable with comparing my ex-wife with the poor soul who murdered five of us one day in Albuquerque. As I thought about it, I realized how fair her comments were. Over the last five years, in Albuquerque, it is likely that John Hyde and Patricia Long received the most coverage associated with their mental illness. And this reporter knew little or nothing of the continuing madness surrounding Patricia’s life in 2010 and now 2011.

I take a great deal of responsibility for bringing the facts regarding Patricia’s problems out in the open. As another reporter remarked a few weeks ago “You did an excellent job manipulating the media in order to protect your children”.

John Hyde’s case provides an excellent example of the conflict between criminality and insanity. Mr. Hyde’s mental illness proved extensive in both time and behavior. Indeed, two police officers lost their lives at the end of that day trying to bring Mr. Hyde in for help without the knowledge of the three previous murders earlier that day. This is in contrast to the accused killer in Tucson who appears to have little formal history of mental illness treatment or diagnosis.

We dodged the question with the resolution of the Hyde case, but with respect and admiration to the parties involved (especially Judge Murdoch), we did it deliberately and with clear statement of the issue.

Judge Murdoch acknowledged the extent of John Hyde’s mental illness, acknowledged his lack of competency, but sentenced Mr. Hyde to a term in the State Mental Hospital for a term comparable to what Mr. Hyde would have received if he had been criminally convicted.

The trick in this case, not argued by either side, was the belief that Mr. Hyde could never be cured or restored to competency and if released could possibly repeat the crimes of which he was not convicted.

So we managed to have our cake and eat it also. My Hyde was not responsible for his crimes but, to a certain extent, was punished as if he was.

While Mr Hyde’s case might represent an honest admission of the paradox, Patricia’s incarceration for almost two and a half years (October 2007 to January 2010) at the Metropolitan Detention Center illustrates the absolute inability of our society to address the issue between criminality and insanity.

Patricia’s crime that resulted in over two years of incarceration – her attempted suicide in defiance of instructions not to kill herself given by her probation officer. Yes, my ex-wife who graduated college phi beta kappa and taught at La Cueva spent over two years in jail for attempted suicide.

I am not party to any treatment she received. She was evaluated and found incompetent at least once and I do not believe the county is known for its treatment of the chronically mental ill.

Does anyone have a problem with spending two years in jail for trying to kill yourself?

All the documentation about this is up at fatheriam.com and her probation office makes it clear that he felt there was no choice, that she was unmanageable within the community.

So they held her until they could not hold her anymore. Last year they released her back into the community. The same judge I admired for his handling of Hyde was forced to shake his head and say “What else can I do?”

And if anyone thinks it proved a peaceful year for Patricia because I have not posted anything, I am sorry it was not. She has been arrested three times, a dozen or more police reports, and several allegations of domestic violence both as a victim and as an assailant.  Since none of them involved the children or I directly, and since we have not heard from her since her call to Glen shortly after her release, I decided not to post anything.

Thus Patricia is treated as a criminal despite the system’s acknowledgement of her mental illness. This works to her advantage when it comes to release back into the community but presents her with the ongoing issue of trying to live within our society.

In both John Hyde and Patricia Long’s cases they had an established history of mental health treatment and diagnosis. In both cases society failed to help before lives were lost or ruined.

I am not even sure they could be helped. I am not convinced the mental health profession is mature or capable enough to help many of those the profession encounters.

There is a great deal of conversation about preventing another Tucson. Considering our failure with those we know about before they act, I wonder what additional preventive measures are possible. More on that later.