In 2005, a judge deemed Seung-Hui Cho “an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness,” and ordered him to undergo mental health treatment. Two years later, Cho’s shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University left 32 dead and 17 wounded.
Steven Kazmierczak had been treated for mental illness and behavioral problems, and his family believed that his troubles were behind him. In 2008, Kazmierczak opened fire in Cole Hall at Northern Illinois University, killing five students.
In the aftermaths, lawmakers and college officials reacted swiftly: Virginia closed state gun law loopholes. Congress expanded the FBI database to keep the dangerous mentally ill from obtaining guns. Many colleges beefed up security and changed the way they dealt with threatening students.
Illinois passed a law making it easier to involuntarily commit mentally ill people for treatment. The state also imposed new requirements on mental health professionals to report violent, suicidal or menacing patients.
Now … another shooting rampage. And another search for something to fix. Or someone — besides the killer — to blame.
The fundamental error in embracing the warm glow of blame is our mistaken belief that this rampage started and stopped on Monday, we wrote in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre. In truth what happened Monday started days or weeks or months ago, when something separated Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho from rational thought.
The same could be written of Jared Loughner. Last fall, Pima Community College officials suspended him for his bizarre and threatening behavior. They told him he could not return without a mental health evaluation certifying that he didn’t pose a danger. On Jan. 8, Loughner drew a Glock pistol in a Tucson shopping mall, leaving six dead and 13 wounded, a congresswoman included.
We don’t know yet what, if any, mental health treatment Loughner had received. We do know that he allowed school officials to share information with his parents, and that campus police spoke to his father when they delivered a suspension notice to Loughner’s home.
Let’s stop here for an important fact: Most of the mentally ill aren’t violent. In fact, studies show that the mentally ill are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than perpetrators of it.
But the risk of violence among those suffering schizophrenia — a possible diagnosis for Loughner — is more than twice the risk of those without the illness. That’s according to data reported in Time magazine from Jeffrey Swanson, a psychiatry professor at Duke University School of Medicine. Swanson’s data show that the “lifetime prevalence of violence in those with schizophrenia or a mood disorder is 33 percent, compared to 15 percent for those with no major disorder.” Add in substance abuse and the prevalence of violence soars to 65 percent.
We’re hearing many proposals to tighten gun laws or strengthen mental health protocols to keep the dangerously mentally ill in treatment and away from guns. But laws depend on people — family, friends, co-workers — attuned and courageous enough to intervene when they witness a person whose speech or behavior suggests instability.
What can you do in that situation? Five suggestions from Dr. Will Cronenwett, a psychiatrist and researcher at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine:
* Seek help from your family doctor.
* If that’s not possible, try to take the person exhibiting symptoms to a hospital for an evaluation. If necessary, he or she can be admitted involuntarily.
* Call a local mental health help line. The Illinois Mental Health Collaborative runs one, at 866-359-7953, that provides information and referrals.
* Some people resist evaluation or treatment. In these cases, you can contact your local state’s attorney’s office, which can guide you through the legal maze to compel someone to get help.
*Call police if you fear the person is an imminent threat to himself or others.
After the Virginia Tech and NIU shootings, mental health officials made a point worth repeating: There almost always are warning signs of instability detected by parents, siblings, co-workers, friends. Those warnings can be heeded, or they can be ignored — often by loved ones too frightened, or uninformed, to seek help.
Speaking up is the first step. Seeking help for a person with symptoms can be painful, alienating and time-consuming.
Doing nothing is worse.
