Just a reminder: Most people with mental illness are NOT violent.

[riderinthestorm]

83. This article dropped like a stone yesterday, maybe better luck here? 5 myths on mass shootings

5 myths on mass shootings


http://www.heraldextra.com/news/opinion/editorial/around-the-nation/myths-about-mass-shootings/article_bb9540bd-68d9-5dd4-9c5a-c8d718dd0f5a.html


With 12 dead and 58 injured, the July 20 massacre at the midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colo., is one of the largest mass shootings in U.S. history. Aurora is only 20 miles from Columbine High School, where seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 and injured 24 in 1999. We may think we know what makes the perpetrators of mass shootings -- mostly boys and men -- tick. Though psychology doesn't always lend itself to hard statistics, there are some surprising patterns.

1. Shooters are insane.

The 2002 Safe School Initiative report looked at 41 attackers across 37 incidents from 1974 to 2000. It concluded that only 17 percent "had been diagnosed with mental health or behavior disorder prior to the attack." Most had never had a mental health evaluation but 78 percent "exhibited a history of suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts."

Adult and teen shooters do not suddenly snap. Their anger and planning often develop over time. And the more they plan, the more an argument can be made, legally, that they are sane.

snip

By contrast, most experts (after his death) have declared Columbine shooter Eric Harris a psychopath. With that label, he could not have pleaded insanity because, while he would be seen as coldblooded, he would also be considered rational, calculating, aware of his actions.