Disputing President Donald Trump’s theory that mental illness leads to gun violence, Dr. Louis Kraus, forensic psychiatrist at University of Chicago’s Rush University Medical College, disagreed with the prevailing wisdom. “The concept that mental illness is a precursor to violent behavior is nonsense,” said Kraus, challenging current media thinking. While Kraus has a point that most mentally ill patients don’t commit mass murder, it’s also true the mental illness, whether it’s situational or chronic, can cause impaired judgment or poor impulse control. Alcohol and drugs, whether illicit or prescribed, can also lead to violent behavior. Anecdotal reports have existed for some time, though disputed by drug makers, that antidepressant medications can induce suicidal and violent behavior. Whether that’s true is anyone’s guess but it’s not “nonsense” that metal illness is a factor in predicting violence.
When 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz gunned down 17 teenagers and teachers at Parkland, Fl.’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Valentine’s Day Feb. 14, it left a lot of folks looking for answers. Trump’s response that Cruz was obviously mentally disturbed after getting expelled for behavior problems last year, was seen by many as not enough. Trump blamed the Oct. 1, 2017 massacre, where 64-year-old Las Vegas gambler Stephen Paddock shot 58 concert-goers from his 47-story Mandalay Bay hotel room, on mental illness. While that’s probably true, it’s also true the Paddock had an arsenal of legally-obtained weapons and ammo to commit the nation’s worst mass shooting. When it comes to the 19-ytear-old Cruz, his access of an AR-15 assault rife, multiple clips and ammo raises questions about the appropriate maturity age for gun purchases, certainly assault rifles.
It forensic psychiatrists wish to make a point about mental illness, they don’t have to go over the deep end. Of course access to dangerous weapons increase the lethality of violent episodes. Had Cruz possessed only knives or even handguns, it’s conceivable he would have caused less carnage. “The vast majority of gun violence is not attributable to mental illness,” said Kraus, begging the question of which factors need to be taken into consideration in predicting violent behavior. Whether or not the vast majority of gun violence involves normally adjusted individuals, it’s inconceivable that massacring fellow citizens is considered normal behavior. Access and availability of firearms certainly increases the lethality of violent episodes. If Cruz were confined to knives or clubs, his lethality would have been limited. Given the Second Amendment and easy access to guns, something more is required.
American Medial Assn. President David Barbe expressed concern about the impact of gun violence on society. “Even for those who manage to survive gun violence involving these weapons, the severity of lasting impact of their wounds, disabilities and treatment leads to devastating consequences,” said Barbe, making gun violence a public health issue. Whether or not mental illness or situational stress contributes to violence, it’s the lethal weapons that make it deadly. Barbe, backed by American Psychiatric Assn., American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, American College of Otstertricians and Gynecologists and the American Osteopathic Assn., call for Congress to enact common sense gun-control legislation. Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) called for the age to buy assault rifles to go up to 21.
With over 38,000 U.S. citizens losing lives to gun violence yearly, more than auto accidents, Barbe has a point that gun violence has become a public health crisis. Congress must work within the Second Amendment to make compromises when it comes to gun purchases and background checks. Trump threw his weight behind improving background checks, including folks with mental illness. With all of the government’s privacy rules, it’s next to impossible to develop a mental health database. While there’s nothing wrong with keeping firearms from the mentally ill, it’s not as Barbe points out the only solution. Keeping AR-15s away from teenagers would be a good start. Parents with weapons around teenagers must be held accountable for not securing weapons.. Parents, family, teachers, school officials must be required to file reports to law enforcement of teenagers with guns.
Blaming mass murder on mental illness goes without saying but won’t stop the incidence of violence from access to lethal weapons. Trump’s right that dealing with mental illness won’t hurt but isn’t the best way of slowing down the incidence of mass shootings. “There’s a great naivete to what the president and the governor [Fl. Gov. Scott] are proposing,” said Kraus, urging Congress to consider more restrictions on assault weapons. While there’s no way to stop gun-advocacy groups like the National Rifle Assn., Congress must face the growing public health crisis created by gun violence. It’s not against the Second Amendment to keep guns away from the mentally ill. Nor is it un-American to ask Congress to restrict teenagers from getting assault weapons. More background checks, mandated reporting and restrictions on gun purchases should help the problem.
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