As of this date in 2013,
there have been 17 events classified as “mass murder” in the United States by
the FBI. According to several articles I have read, approximately 88% of mass
murderers had a history of mental illness or suffered from untreated mental
illness. Family members and friends
reported odd behavior after these events occurred.
The vast majority of mass
murders are single white males in their 20’s or 30’s. Many were reported to have been diagnosed with
or suspected of having Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Some consider ASPD a mental illness while
others believe it is a personality disorder.
It seems (from various articles I have read) that mental illness is
treatable; personality disorders are not.
I have no background in the field, so cannot form an opinion on the
subject.
“Dr. Maurice Godwin has studied serial
killers for years and one in-depth analysis of 107 of them revealed important
information. Godwin found 55 percent of serial killers began having trouble in
childhood and had criminal juvenile records. 45 percent had been convicted for
a previous sex crime.
As with so many criminals it goes back to
their early formative years and the best lesson we can learn is that when we
find a troubled child we best help them. Failure to do so could result in
another serial killer walking among us.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-dimond/orange-county-serial-killer_b_1222710.html?utm_hp_ref=serial-killers#comments
It
seems that every couple months, there is another mass shooting in the United
States, and the news reported afterward nearly always states that the shooter
was mentally ill.
We are
living in frightening times. In this
article, I am not addressing whether ease of access to guns is part of the
picture.
I have
a question that comes to my mind after each shooting. Because so many of the shooters’
acquaintances state that they knew the guy was a disturbed man, what should we
– friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. do if we believe someone is mentally
ill? If he has not hurt himself or
others, but he is very odd (claims to hear voices in his head, has temper
outbursts, plays video games for hours on end or exhibits other strange behaviors, what can we or should we do.
If I report it to the police, what would I
report? My neighbor is weird? If he has not done anything criminal, law
enforcement agencies would have their hands tied. One day he may “flip out” and kill people,
but unless that happens, what can the police do?
If the
person is a close friend or family member, of course we would try to get them
help. This is a serious question. If he
is simply someone with whom you are acquainted, what should we do? I truly want to know.
