Navy Yard Shooter Suspected of Mental Illness

Aaron Alexis Heard Voices

As my essay in "Counseling Today" noted, perpetrators of heinous shootings are often confirmed or suspected of having a mental illness. This raises many questions about what it means to be mentally ill, and the possibility of legislation that will require greater surveillance on individuals who are deemed potential threats. With every new tragedy that rattles this country, the sense of urgency to act grows immensely. Is the answer to separate the mentally ill from the rest of society? Do we force everyone to have psychiatric evaluations? Do you force doctors, teachers, and other professionals to report to the government any suspicions of troubled individuals? And what will be done with that information? Will these individuals lose their right to privacy? Will their freedoms be limited in order to ward off potential harm? Do we further stigmatize an already vulnerable population without any substantial threats, but rather hunches that are made by people who are not trained to recognize true mental illness?

 Is the answer to ban guns in totality? Some argue that without guns, these types of mass murders will not happen. This begs the question of whether or not it was the access to guns in particular that preceded such acts, or whether these acts are more of a result of the illness itself; would individuals who are very sick still act out if guns were not so accessible? Would they turn to other lethal methods such as homemade explosives, which have been used with some ease by others in the past? What is the overlap between those exercising the right to bear arms, and those who are likely to commit murder based on a mental illness? How many individuals out of the entire population of the mentally ill have committed murder? Despite the severity and seemingly frequent occurrence of these acts, with 1 in every 100 citizens being diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and roughly 25 in every 100 meeting the criteria for Depression (the two most frequently cited mental illnesses when these murders have been committed), it is clear that the diagnosis of mental illness alone is not enough to accurately describe those who would commit such horrendous shoot outs.

So what is the answer? I do not know, and it is safe to say that in realizing how many questions are raised for both of these popular solutions, this area is severely bereft of research. Acting on emotions rather than facts run very serious risks whether it is limiting the civil liberties of the mentally ill in particular, or taking away liberties of an entire nation.

I want your opinion. If you were in power, what would you do? What would you like to see happen?