That is what happened at my workplace my mental illness was seen as a weakness and they tried to weed me out by picking on, bullying, and harassing me until I left the company. I had a panic attack one day and they discovered I was mentally ill. I couldn't quit because it was hard to find work at the time, and I have a wife and son and house payments.
Someone who threatens violence most likely won't end up on disability but will do things to end up in jail and await a trial. Threatening violence is threaten with intent to terrorize and a class C felony in some areas. If he does it again and the police are called, he'd face about a year in jail and mental hospitals as they try to figure out if he is fit to stand trial. If found guilty he'd spend 3 to 10 years in jail and have one strike against him in the felony section.
There are likely to be better answers, but I have to admit that this problem is hard.
I live in Ferguson Missouri, we have riots and looting here. It is much more than the death of Mike Brown, it is government corruption, it is decades old racism, it is racial profiling by the police, it is politicians cutting the budget of education and the police to pay themselves more money, it is police officers using deadly force when if they had a taser it would have been different, it is lack of good paying jobs, it is a ruin down houses and condos and apartments, you got non-violent protesters and then you got some violent ones with them that throw rocks and bottles at police officers and even some shooting guns. I can't think of a solution to all of that. But it is a bigger problem than workplace shooters.
In my case the society is sick, and it is only sick because of injustices and perceived wrongdoing by the police. You hear protesters saying they want to kill the police officers, because they have killed innocent black lives.
Again I don't know of a solution to that, I'm trained to solve problems involving computers, math, science, and using logic and reason.
Racism does not pass intelligence tests, it is not logical or rational. It is based on hate, much the same as workplace shooters are based on hate and don't follow logic and reason.
When a human being isn't being logical or rational and goes with emotions like hate and fear, you'd almost have to get into abnormal psychology to find a solution.
Yes there might exist better answers.
As a mentally ill person, society generally looks down on me and does not support me anyway. They see my mental illness as a weakness and either want me gone from the workplace or in a mental hospital, nursing home, or dead.
One thing that worries me is that mental health issues can truly incapacitate people. For the person in the article, presumably returning to any kind of work will be extremely difficult. Who will take a chance to hire that person? What is he to do? If the state looks after such a person, how many healthy people will feel frustrated that somebody issues death threats and is "rewarded" by receiving care from the state.
It is a highly difficult situation. As I have some good friends who have developed mental disorders, I feel truly grateful that I have do not have to cope with that myself (yet...). I hope you are able to successfully struggle through these difficult issues going forward.