Lawmakers are hearing/heard testimony on mental health services in the state, as part of the legislature's response to the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports.
Patricia Rehmer had a note of caution for lawmakers. She's the state's commissioner of Mental Health and Addition Services.
"We do not have any information about the mental health or any mental health issues that the shooter in the Newtown tragedy may have. We know nothing about that, and I think it's really important to say that repeatedly because I do think that people perhaps make assumptions about these kind of events and the mental health or mental illness associated with it."
The search for answers and solutions after Newtown has made for delicate discussions on mental health. When it comes to shooter Adam Lanza, one state official with information about the investigation said this: We know he wasn't right, but we don't know what was wrong.
Debralee Hovey is one of the state representatives for Newtown. And she says one big thing that may hinder the legislature's work is that investigators may not release any more information on the Dec. 14 shooting until June.
"We're nervous about different conversations occurring without all of the information."
Nevertheless, lawmakers are taking the opportunity to take a close look at how the state provides mental health services. They planned to hear from service providers, physicians, child advocates, state administrators, and others.
Beth Bye is a state senator from West Hartford. She recently said that when it comes to Newtown, she doesn't need to wait for a formal diagnosis for Adam Lanza to know what to do next.
“It's so easy for me. Because after this happened, a dozen families in my district came forward and said, ‘I've been dealing with a volatile adolescent, I'm worried about them hurting themselves or others, and there's nothing out there to help me. And I need help.’ So this crisis made our constituents come out and say, ‘You see what can happen? We've been telling you we need help. We need help.’”
Legislators are looking to pass new laws in February.
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.
Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director. Then, in 2022, he became a senior enterprise reporter.