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Letter: Keep an eye on mental health

Keep an eye on mental health

I would like for Aspen, Pitkin County and their neighboring environs during the year 2015 to nearly eradicate the costly problems caused by arrested social development, heartaches, suicides and stunted economic growth.

It is time to bite the bullet on the area’s suicide rate and widespread psychosis. The following sharpens understanding for all:



A public image is rarely a person’s real face. We are brought up not to show what we really feel in thought, word and behavior. When we show our real selves, we let down our defenses (protective shields). We tend to forget our self-discipline.

Daily normal or sane folk carefully control themselves in public to hide or prevent carelessness. A mentally ill person usually ignores self-control and self-consciousness.




Psychotic behavior keeps a mentally sick person out of touch with reality and good judgment. It leads to confused body language, perceptions and communications and terrible consequences. Out of touch with reality, the deranged individual says and does things that normal or sane people hide or suppress. In his or her muddled mind, societal inhibitions no longer exist.

Now get this: If a mentally ill person acts sanely, then he or she is sane. Also think about it this one: The insane act out their madness in public as a way to cry for help.

Although some are capable of protecting their mental health in an Aspen social culture ingrained with self-perpetuating mass psychosis, many lack the knowledge and ability to inoculate themselves. Simply review the decades of news stories, courthouse cases, police-blotter reports, suicides and nanny city-government actions to realize that madness parades as circus clowns jingling a soft-shoe dance with a joker grin.

It is long overdue to admit that too many in the valley long ago lost civilized sensibilities. Admission is the very first step along the path of keeping your wits about yourself among so many needing spiritual and mental remedies.

Even though there are now periodic meetings to educate about and address suicide, it is up to each person to work on keeping his or her mental well-being. The books are in the public libraries to help you.

You can do it.

Emzy Veazy III

Burbank, California, and Aspen