相模原障害者施設19人殺害の植松聖受刑者が結婚していたことに対して精神科医が考えること

Good evening. I'm Dr. Takahiro Haga, a psychiatrist. Today, I've slightly altered my planned content to discuss something I absolutely must talk about now. It's a very heavy topic. It concerns the Sagamihara disability facility massacre, also known as the Tsukui Yamayuri-en incident. In this incident, nineteen people with intellectual disabilities lost their lives. Moreover, it wasn't due to personal grudges or a sudden dispute. The perpetrator viewed people with intellectual disabilities as "unnecessary to society," and committed the crime based on that belief. Of course, I was aware of this incident itself. As someone involved in mental healthcare, it's an incident that has had a significant impact on discussions regarding involuntary hospitalization and the Mental Health and Welfare Act. Because the perpetrator had been involuntarily hospitalized before the incident, it also sparked discussions about "what mental healthcare could have done" and "the limits of involuntary hospitalization." However, what shocked me most this time was seeing a video about the perpetrator getting married while in prison. Watching that video left me with an indescribable feeling of unease. A person who took nineteen lives and inflicted irreparable loss on nineteen families—yet, still managed to attract someone and form a marriage. I felt an overwhelming sense of injustice at that fact. Of course, you never know who you'll be attracted to. Sometimes, society develops an interest in understanding the inner workings of a criminal, or in understanding why such a crime occurred. However, at least in this case, I believe we must discuss the weight of the lives taken before discussing the perpetrator's charm or talent. As a psychiatrist, I have worked with many people with intellectual disabilities. And I have met many of their parents. Here's something I want everyone to understand. Whether or not a child has an intellectual disability, to their parents, they are their child. Whether severe, moderate, or mild, parents pour truly deep love into their children. Of course, every family has its own circumstances. There is exhaustion. There is conflict. There are realities where parents have no choice but to place their children in institutions. However, that doesn't mean they don't love them. On the contrary, it's precisely because their children require more care that parents worry, are concerned, and can't take their eyes off them. As parents, they want to do everything they can to help. I've seen this kind of interaction many times in my practice. In treating mental illness, I often encounter cases where parent-child relationships are complex and tangled. Depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, developmental disorders, neurotic disorders—often, there's a deep-seated wound in family relationships as an underlying factor. That's why I'm often deeply moved when I witness the genuine love between individuals with intellectual disabilities and their parents. Parents don't view their children through the lens of "Is this child socially productive?" From society's perspective, individuals with severe disabilities require support. Taxes are used for them. They need care. They need medical and welfare services. But that doesn't diminish the value of their lives. This is a crucial point that must not be misunderstood. There are people in society who think, "People who can't work are a burden on society," "People receiving welfare are a nuisance," and "It's a waste of taxpayer money to help people with disabilities." Even if they don't say it out loud, I think there are people who think this way deep down. I understand, to some extent, where these feelings come from. In an economic downturn, one's own life is difficult. Taxes are high. There's a lot of anxiety about the future. In such circumstances, when you're working hard, and yet someone else seems to be receiving support, you might feel it's unfair. From there, the idea can arise that "society would be easier if those people didn't exist." However, in many cases, this stems from ignorance. It's because they don't know the real people. They don't know the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. They don't know the struggles of their parents. They don't know the expressions on the faces of these people. They don't know how much their families worry, how much they love, and how much they support them. Therefore, they judge a person's worth based only on numbers, systems, and taxes. The same applies to people receiving welfare. The same applies to people who can't work due to depression. The same applies to people with intellectual disabilities. There are all kinds of people there. Some are serious, others are not. Some are hardworking, others seem to be running away. It's the same as with ordinary people. I'm not saying that "disabilities make people beautiful." Nor am I saying that "all weak people are good." Rather, I'm saying that every group, just lik...