Patty's flea

Patty's flea was a term used in childhood referring to the fact that I kept fidgeting and hopping around.  My brain is like Patty's flea...hopping all around but not actually landing on any one thing.  It is an unsettled feeling.  I'm trying to catch up a bit and realized I missed lots of blogs including my sister's.  Good grief.  I know part of this unsettled feeling has to do with the recent verdict of the man that claimed PTSD is why he shot two men in the back and took off in their truck to try and get away.  Reading the article he appears to be trying to use mental illness as a way to get away with murder.  The jury didn't buy it.  But here's the problem, when someone does have brain damage or other disorders that really do adversely affect them, these people that 'cry wolf' to manipulate the system, hurt those that have wolves ravishing their lives.  I get frustrated when I read about people blaming their labels for their behavior.  Unless your brain cells don't connect for some reason, each person is responsible for their behavior.  I remember being at girl's camp as a cabin mom and one girl was really acting out.  I called her on her behavior.  She claimed it was because she was from a broken home.  My answer, "So."  She told me about her rotten life and I matched her story for story.  I looked at her and told her, "A bad childhood is just an excuse.  It is up to you what you are going to do now."  She behaved much better for the rest of the week.  Didn't change her life, just gave me less grief.  If a trigger causes me to react in an extreme way, I am responsible for my reaction.  I'm not sorry the man was convicted.  I am sad he believed he could use PTSD as a "get out of jail" card.  Portraying people with PTSD as murderous is cruel burden to lay on myself and others that have PTSD.