Mass Shootings: a Public Health Crisis
Introduction
On May 24, 2022, another horrific mass shooting event devastated America when 19 students and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. This event caused numerous Americans nationwide to question not only the reasoning behind why any individual would do such a thing, but also why their country was the worldwide hub for such atrocities when other developed countries do not struggle with this issue. With this, the first subject most citizens turn to is mental health, which is not an unrealistic conclusion to jump to, but quickly became so when it was publicly to blame for this action. Despite this overwhelmingly popular belief, it is crucial to understand that mass shooting are a public (not mental) health crisis.
The Role of Mental Health in Mass Violence
It is undeniable that mental health plays a part in mass violence of all kinds and can be the result of such a thing. Still, as previously stated, this is not the sole answer. As many past public atrocities have done before, this act has sparked significant debate amongst legislators, many of whom chose to avoid large-scale questions and incidentally accused mentally ill people of these acts. For instance, Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that “a mental health challenge” was at fault for the massacre. Finally, psychiatrists state that boosting mental health services and making them more affordable could reduce gun deaths; however, there is no effective mental health method to stop this issue.
How Can We Solve This Problem?
The only way to stop the momentum of mass shootings, and other acts of large-scale violence, are to stop them before they start by looking for warning signs. For instance, professors and researchers have identified similarities between past shooters and that of this most recent occurrence in Uvdale. To begin, these individuals will study other shooters to whom they can relate, then many will become isolated after experiencing early childhood trauma, and lastly, their self-hate turns against a particular group of people when they begin to blame them for their feelings. This critical point in history is when American citizens must stop the usage of harmful labels to avoid the genuine issue and understand that these people need to be helped, which I hope to strive to do when I begin my planned career as a psychiatrist.
Conclusion
In the end, there are a few primary things to understand about mass shootings and their relation to mental health, especially that of the perpetrator. Firstly, mental health disorders and other similar medical issues cannot be blamed for these horrific acts since they give innocent people negatively viewed labels, even when it has been proven that those who live with mental illnesses are ten times more likely to be the victims of crime. Next, one does not necessarily need to have an official medical history of poor mental health to commit such a crime, which is proven by the fact that most past shooters did not. Finally, in continuation, is my personal favorite point that I believe everyone should consider regardless of the degree of such a situation: mental health problems range far beyond diagnosed disorders. They must be a common subject of research that is not villanized and viewed as a subject of taboo!