Mass shootings have been in the forefront of the news
regularly for years. As a result, the mental health system in America has been
questioned. Going back to the Columbine school shooting in 1999, and now the
most recent Newtown, Aurora, and Tucson shootings, the mental health of
shooters has become a pressing issue.
However, the issue at hand is not the mere reality of mental
illness within America. With an estimated 26.2 percent of adult Americans
suffering from mental illness, it should be something regularly treated, widely
accepted, and properly funded. Many families and adults find it incredibly
difficult to find treatment, if they even seek help.
In the most recent school shooting, Adam Lanza killed his own
mother and then 20 children and six teachers at a local elementary school.
Although his mental health history remains unknown, it follows a similar
pattern of the shootings within the last few years. In 2007, Seung Hui Cho killed 32 and wounded
17 people in Virginia. He had a long, documented history of mental illness,
including being diagnosed with severe social anxiety disorder. In 2011, Jared
Loughner opened fire in Tucson, killing 6 and wounding 19. He had previously
been diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression. Just a few months ago in July
2012, James Holmes killed 12 and injured 58 in a movie theater in Colorado and
has been described as mentally ill by his defense attorney.
Shooters from the Aurora and Tucson shootings, respectively, suspected of having mental illness.
All of these cases of mental illness and violence bring up
the issue of treatment of mental health in America, but also create a negative
stigma for all people suffering from mental illness. Most people suffering from
mental illness do not have homicidal tendencies and are usually only a direct
threat to themselves. However, with the negative stigma surrounding mental
illness and the lack of treatment centers, many suffering will never seek help.
When those suffering do not seek help, they can have trouble holding a job,
maintaining a place to live, and ultimately become a threat to themselves or
others.
This vicious cycle is the basis of the mental health issue
within the United States. If more people accepted mental illness as a part of
every society, and realized it is something that people have no control over,
but can be treated through therapy and medication, the negative stigma would
dissipate and more people would seek treatment. In addition to changing the
general attitudes, mental health groups agree that in order to help the issue
at hand community mental health services need to double their capacity,
school-based programs need to be improved, and children and student need to be
educated in how to recognize the signs of mental illness and how to seek help. Immediately, the issue could begin to be helped if young people began to change their attitudes towards mental health and understood its importance.
