Although this person may have some mental illnesses. I don't understand why people have to attach mental illness to the horrible things people do. They are people, who do bad things and may have a mental illness. Not individuals who have a mental illness are the only people who do bad or horrific things.


Just my opinion and this is why perfectly sane people who do insane things always try pleading insanity or a sort of mental illness. Your not insane, you just did a bad thing.

Exactly. Most mentally ill people don't hurt anyone and yet are all painted with the same brush. Some people are just evil...period.

People attach mental illness to something like this because it's so senseless. While a person doesn't need to be mentally ill to kill or seek revenge, normal people even "evil" people think killing innocent children is wrong. People who have harmed children are treated the worst in prison, it’s just not acceptable even among the most harden criminals. By the way, sane and insane are legal terms, not terms used in psychiatry, and usually imply the person didn’t know the difference between right and wrong. People who are mentally ill usually know the difference between right and wrong, but they have delusions that influence their decisions.

Paranoid schizophrenia, dissassociative psychosis, sociopaths....these are all legitimate mental illnesses that can throw an individual into the depths of insanity...can make them become "evil" and do "evil" things. Not excuses for bad behavior, but legitimate disease proceses.....As a society, we can NOT just write this off as something an evil person did...that will do NOTHING towards reconstructing or revamping what this country does for its mentally ill patients. When these people take their medications, (with the exception of sociopaths) they can cope and integrate into society and function well. But......if they dont take their meds...??? I personally am hopeful we see the day when these patients are implanted with devices that can administer dosing of these medications...out of the control of the patient. THAT ought to throw the ACLU into a tailspin!!!

Just read a news story where they reported a woman whose son knew him in school said that her son said he was very thin, remote and called him a "goth". Apparently in addition to his reported autism, OCD, PD, Asperger's, he subscribed to the gothic lifestyle. Police who saw his room said it was immaculate, a place for everything and everything in its place, so unlike the room of most 20 year old males. I heard that he used guns registered to his mother to kill with.

The body found in his home was his mother. He killed her first and then drove her car to the school...

There are no words for this. I am so deeply shocked and saddened. It makes me afraid to have a child these days. I can't begin to imagine how these parents feel. 11 days shy of Christmas...

There was a shooting in my highschool when I was in 10th grade. We were in lockdown for about three hours and two people were killed. The next week they brought in metal detectors and made us go through them every other day, in the morning. After a week or two they stopped using the metal detectors.

I said it this morning on Facebook and I will say it again. EVERY school in America should require FULL 24/7 use of metal detectors no matter what. Every single school day. Every single child, teacher, and visitor should have to walk through a metal detector. It is THAT simple.

That's awful! I can't imagine that happening in school when I was a student. Probably would have marked me for life. I'll bet you were so scared to go to school after that for a long while.

It's awful to think of a school where kindergarten-aged kids have to file through a metal detector to go learn how to read and write, isn't it? Awful but it may come to that.

Em like Yes, maybe schools will feel more like prisons but they would be SO MUCH SAFER. That's worth it to me, if it prevented even one future instance like this one.

I don't remember a lot of when it happened at my hs. I was in the gym with a friend and my choir director decorating for a Christmas concert. We heard code red on the PA system and we ran into an office and locked the door. My mom heard about it on the news and rushed to the school. She threw a huge fit because no one could tell her where I was...as a teacher assistant I was running a special errand and wasn't in my class. I felt so bad for my mom when she finally met me in the gym. She was so scared during the time she couldnt find me. We went home and I remember asking her if I could be homeschooled because I was so scared. Ugh. I'm getting shaky remembering all of this. Imagine being an ELEMENTARY aged student and going through this...that is terrifying. They'll always be known as survivors now. Thank God for that....it could have been so much worse...as if 20 isn't bad enough...

Gosh, that sounds totally frightening for any young person to go through. I just can't imagine what being in terrible, imminent danger in what is supposed to be one of the safest places in the world would do to a young person. That's got to shatter your confidence. And your poor mom, having to wait for so long to find out if she had a living child!!! Awful, awful. Was the shooter a young male with mental problems?

Two black freshman males. Thats all I know, I never heard their names. It is scary. Schools should be safe havens. Not the place shooters pick for the shock factor. :( I heard the principal at Sandy Hook (who was shot and passed away) was very dedicated and devoted...she had recently begun implementing new safety procedures...so sad.

Well, at least they got the shooters. Sorry you had to go through something this awful as a young person. Had to give you nightmares for quite a long time.

Schools will have to be built like prisons. Everyone will have to go through double security doors and metal detectors and the playgrounds will have to be made of reinforced concrete and barbed wire to keep predators out while they play. Ridiculous. You can't do anything anymore quite the same. School - from elementary to Universities, mall, theaters, planes, trains, and plain-ole sight seeing. It just can't be done blindly anymore because people are killing anyone, anywhere, anytime, and for any reason. I don't know what the solution is, but taking away guns is not going to solve the problem.

Yep, I've done things Im not proud of, but all minor. Tragedies such as this is mental.

This is so heartbreaking...praying for all the families involved.

I didn't see the news until I got home last night. I am horrified ....no words


I am a teacher and we have had a few incidents... A few years past a student cut the throat of another student in the bathroom. They were 12 years old. It was horrible... The killer then went back to class and when the teacher questioned the blood on his shoes he said he had a nose bleed. We were in lock down for 5 hours until they found the killer. ( you would think his teacher would have put 2 plus 2 together but No one told us why ) and I was terrified to protect my students. I joked and told them no one would get past me because I had knives ( I teach food production) I saw the horror and pain in the eyes of the parents when they finally could get their children. The horror of the two families who could not ,

Again.. No words just sadness

My son starts kindergarten next year & this event terrifies me. My son is at his dad's this weekend and as much as I want to be hugging him it's probably better he not see mama tearing up. I can't imagine how the families directly involved are getting through this, but my thoughts are with them.

This is terrible:(
I don't think gun control helps when someones goal is to hurt other people, they'll just find another way.
I would be scared of having a kid nowadays, I worry enough of something happening to the daycare kids.

If you think gun control will help, I see your point.

I believe in some gun regulation, felons restricted, etc-these are already in place in CA.

If you think we need stricter laws...ask a druggie in any city in any state, how hard it is to get drugs...as far as arming teachers we just saw what happened when a teacher had 3 guns...

So glad my Bro made flight arrangements, he and his two kids will arrive here on the 21st.

I feel so bad for those parents and everyone involved. So crazy. :(

In the world we live in, I have no desire to bring a child into this world. Every angle, every aspect is counted against them unless you have money. I don't mean just getting by or living comfortable.

Otherwise I feel that to have children is a self fulfilling act. Yea they're cute and look just like you. Teach you more about yourself, but their future is 50 shades of grey as this country and world moves to progressively aggressive forms of everyday living. Like bombings and shootings. How are they to survive and live? Plus, the destruction of our economics, infrastructure, jobs, and futures. There's no more do the right thing. You go to school your screwed, you don't go to school your screwed. The only people not getting screwed are the ones who found a way to beat the system and then you just become dependent. There's no good places or bad places. You can be killed anywhere, at anytime, and for no reason. Go to the mall, get shot. Go to the movies, get shot. Go to school, get shot. Walk down the street, get shot. No matter where you are, your economic status/social status; you are no longer able to enjoy the full extent of freedom. It is only going to get worse, not better.

This generation coming up is so screwed. With a single parent or two working parent's, kids are being raised by others. The family structure has been disbanded. It's further disbanded through brainwashing. Where 'hooking up' is the way to go versus creating strong solid relationships. So, baby mom here, baby dad there, etc. Then you have these dysfunctional reality shows, the spew this crap.


I saw teen mom and one teen mother is just beyond irresponsible. She had a choice between turning herself in to the courts or getting arrested and adding time to her probation. She choose to go to a Keisha concert because that was more important. She felt one with this artist, meanwhile this artist couldn't care less. When she got back she was arrested and extended her probation. Priorities out of whack.

Sorry for the rant. It's just sad looking around knowing that it will be long before things truly get better. You can find success and happiness in the smaller things. The bigger picture is not so pretty.

If somebody wants to cause harm they will do so with or without gun control laws. And the only way to keep this stuff out of schools is to have guards at every door, etc. That will do nothing for movie theaters, malls, etc.

I think mental illness is very misinderstood. Psychological problems don't all look the same. And most people who have a psych issue are really good at hiding it (or they may not even know they have a problem). People without a mental illness do bad things. IMO, they do not go on killing rampages though. There is no question that these people can be very smart. That does not mean they are totally mentally ok. If it is complete hopelessness then they are depressed which is another psych issue ("mental illness"). I know some "experts" say some killers don't have a mental problem but think everybody is wrong and they are right. IMO, something is off somewhere to be thinking that way. And even after diagnosis there is not nearly as much help as what we would want to believe.

BTW, from personal experience the mental health services available in this country are somewhat of a joke. There are many great providers and many that shouldn't touch a pet goldfish. So to try and diagnose, medicate, and monitor troubled individuals won't do mch under the current system.

I agree about the having kids now a days. I wouldn't have another one. This world is getting worse and worse. Now they are talking about gun control. Sorry guys, but that is really scary. First off, criminals will still get guns and just as much. The only people without them will be law abiding citizens. Criminals wont worry as much to break in your house if they know you don't have a gun. Well probably see the home invasions sky rocket. So the cops and criminals will be the only people with guns. I have a feeling this can't be a good thing. I have many opinions about the subject, but I will stop at that.

I cannot believe someone went on a killing spree after kids. My heart aches everyday over that. Something is not right.

I am a retired elementary school teacher. You should see some of the children that are in our schools and the emotional states they are in . Way too much violence, lack of respect, and just out of control behavior. Many kids are growing up irresponsible, and they lack the integrity of past generations. We really need to pray for this to change. That boy should never have had access to guns, let alone be taught how to use them. Strict discipline is lacking and kids of today have no fear of authority or of God. I pray for all those parents out there who need help with their kids.

There is no comfort knowing that those little children are gone from us. I cried because I taught 1st grade and they are precious. One Christmas a little girl gave me a box wrapped up and the tag said, "Do not ever open this box. It is filled with love." I know in my heart that there is a heaven. God sent His angels to take His children there along with the others. Scripture says our eye has not seen nor our ear heard, neither has it entered into our heart the things God has prepared for those who love Him. These children are in that beautiful place and we who follow His word will go there one day too!

I feel so bad for saying this but

I was overjoyed to hear my newlphew was attending a neighboring school, apparently they use a different alert style there and put all surrounding schools on lock down.

Like my children attend a school with a hospital next door, when a man made threats to show up at the hospital and ahoot it up over being billed the school was put on lock down and parents received the automated lock down alert calls. The schools blocks away did not get the lock down alert.

I spent several days wondering how to talk to him or react to this, in the end we all need to address these conversations with children in age appropriate ways.

Today my kids came home with a leaflet from school about the school's emergency policy and ways to talk with children etc.

I can't help but think

Why aren't our schools always on lock down while in session?

I see not issue with strict order and safety protocol.
From the wondering child who leaves for the bathroom to mess around, to child abductions to truency and school shootings.

While we can'thelp guarentee any corse of action will prevent this from ever happening again, I think as adults we need to take greater responsibility for our children's safety.

Maybe its just me, it bothers me to see kindergarden, first, second grade children walking themselves to and from school even.

I agree totally with you. My daughter is almost 14 and I still take her to school. A while back I went a few months without a car. \ It was hard getting her there everyday, but I did it. Either by my grandma, borrowing someones car, whatever. The only other option would have been for her to take the bus. I do not feel comfortable with that. The only way that would happen is if I took it with her and rode back by myself. I am not over protective type of person, but I am not taking chances with my daughter. I just can't put her on a bus to get off alone then walk to school alone too. I notice elementary school kids walking alone too and know what you mean concretegirl. Sad it has to be that way, but it is what it is.

We don't let any daycare kids outside by themselves no matter the age, but I think it's funny that we're aloud to let 5 yr olds walk to the bus stop thats down the road and out of sight but kids can't play out in the yard until they're 7 by themself when you can see them out the window. We don't do either though, I'm always the only adult at the bus stop, even when the new school year is starting, there's 5 yr olds with no one there:eek:

I just need to point out that taking responsibility and having a mental illness aren't mutually exclusive things. Someone can have a mental illness and also take full responsibility for doing something that may have been exacerbated by said mental illness.

Mental illness isn't a cop out or something used only for 'blame'; rather, it can/may help *explain* aspects of why something happened the way it did. It's not an excuse, its not a way to justify - it's just part of the explanation.

If someone massacres 20 children, there absolutely is something wrong in their brain chemistry.

We live in a pretty crime free neighborhood, I don't let my kids play without me at the park or be in the front yard without me there-I tell them big trucks can't see kids below the dash and there is too much stranger danger out there.

My daughter is only allowed to walk from school in a group, she's 13 and there's a trail from the school yard through the soccer feild to our suburb-about a half mole long totallu open.

I don't think its paranoid at all, it's being a responsible parent.

I can't beleive the neighbors let their first grader walk to and from school while its they live at the end of the block literally around the corner from the trail-it only takes one weirdy and one oppertunity.