It's a cheap device to demonise mental health sufferers in 11/22/63

It is a cheap device to come onto this forum unregistered too.

Actually, if Uncle Steve had to refrain from talking about mental disordered folks he would be very stifled in what he could write. The cops could accuse him of writing about crooked deputies, the church could accuse him of making fun of unclean and tainted priests and the list goes on. Your concern is kinda silly ...that is my personal opinion. Don't quote psych to me cause I majored in it. Let Steve just write and be thankful for him.

I :love: Sheemie!!!!!!!!!

If a writer is afraid they will offend someone, then that person cannot be a truly effective writer. Phobias about various topics, including mental health, run rampant in the world. They are the base and rooted demons of depression, anxiety, frustration, etc. Strange strands grow in the mind of those who suffer, and some, most unfortunately, grow all too wild. I believe that the horror genre of writing brings this to the attention of those who read, and many more readers than one might think gain at least some greater compassion for those who do suffer the most. I believe also, that this is at the crux of what Stephen's work is based upon. He tells the unfortunate truth in many ways, and he does it very well. This is simply my very brief and incomplete take on the basis of his work. Hope you have a good day:)

We can't be so senseitive about things we read. How could we be avid readers if we r affected by everything we read or hear. Grow a tuff skin.
We all know someone or live with mental illness. In this day and age its hard not to be depressed. Every author would have to make a statement to "balance things up", because there is always someone who will be offended by something someone wrote or said. They write for our entertainment, we can't take it serious it's non-fiction. I know first hand how domestic violence and mental illness can play out. A friend of mine killed a cop, his ex-girl friend, then himself. I know the fall out of the loved ones involved. I also know how he "suffered" w/ mental issues. It's been 2 yrs this month that my nephew took his own life and to top things off a friend killed himself two weeks before christmas this past year. How do we deal with these things happen? All I can say is I do alot of praying everyday, and thank God for every day I have. But I still love to read a good book no matter what might be in it. Stephen King has always been my favorite author and always will be.

((sarge))

I just want to correct myself> I put non-fiction and I mean't fiction. Sorry

I agree with you. I have suffered on and off with depression since the latter months of 2009. It can be, and has been, debilitating. There IS extreme stigma attached to not mental illness itself so much as the phrase 'mental illness'. You say it and people assume you're all kinds of crazy. But for a lot of 'sufferers', you wouldn't know it to look at them.

As for the book, I really don't see what the problem is. BUT it is worth considering that people who do those kinds of things DO tend to have issues. It's like, not all abuse victims grow up to abuse. But the ones who do abuse, were most likely abuse victims. Just my own opinion on the matter.

Given the fact that Mr. King has stated that he thinks we are ALL mentally ill (some just hide it better than others), it is kind of idiotic to state that he attempts to send any kind of dark message about the mentally ill in his work. The only pattern of that nature that I have ever gleaned is that there are good people and bad people. Bad people should get their just desserts.

Personally I think Mr. King handles mental health issues in this book very well and in a hauntingly realistic way!! As he always has done and still does.

I myself am diagnosed with PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, as well as Social Phobia and I didn't find anything offensive in this novel, quite the contrary - even though I am presently reading this novel in a sick-leave (burn-out) and suffering one of the most severe episodes of the above mentioned problems.

Arc sodiums forever! (Dean Koontz is really fond of them, too.)