There may be a thin line but being on the wrong side of it places you in the 'shouldn't have a licence' category. There is no excuse for this sort of behaviour being acceptable. If you believe that you are likely to be in a similar situation then hand back your licence now, do us all a favour, and accept that you simply shouldn't be flying (assuming you are).
Mental illness, if this was the case here, is very sad but that doesn't mean that we should all rush round and say that this person couldn't help himself, should be given a 'get out of jail free' card, and sent on a course of improving himself through state sponsored helicopter rental. Come on.
I don't go for hanging and flogging but when people pursue this beheviour I am all in favour for sending them to an uninhabited island where they can tilt their rotors at a rock face and endangour only themselves not other aviators, the control tower staff, and the reputation of the private flying community.
Sorry that this thread is being cut short - there are some valid points here.