Me with my father, diagnosed manic depressive (now bi-polar) in the 1940's
When I was asked recently to read from my book Missing Father for Sacramento NAMI, people wanted me to highlight the parts that show that my father was a unique, creative, gentle soul, to emphasize that a diagnosis cannot define a person. Because I was so connected to my father, as well as to clients I see in my office, hearing the media conflate mass murders with mental illness feels deeply personal and painful, as well as a deflection from the actual causes.
I don't know that anyone has a definitive answer to why school shootings and other mass killings happen, but here are some that contribute, in no particular order:
- a culture of violence
- extreme inequality
- bullying
- a deficit of empathy
- a me-only mentality
- isolation
- easily accessible, unregulated firearms
- drug addiction
- psychopaths and fanatics (character disorders)
- psychiatric medications
The one tie to mental illness is that some studies show a link between psychiatric medications and increased aggression and some perpetrators were on these drugs. Most people with a mental illness have neither the energy nor the inclination to harm anyone, spending too much of their time feeling scared, confused, bad about themselves and anxious. It seems to me what they (we all) need is empathic listening, authentic respect, and ways to regain their creativity, stability, perspective and strength.
What do you think? Contributing factors you would add?
Read more about my father's struggles and my family on my website: Missing Father, A Daughter's Search for Love, Self-Acceptance and a Parent Lost in the World of Mental Illness or buy directly from Amazon.
"Missing Father...is beautifully rendered and filled with tenderness and compassion and clarity.... It reads like a dream."
Laura Davis, Co-author of The Courage To Heal
Warmly and in peace,
Shauna