evil or mentally ill

[cornflake]

I believe this man snapped, school overload, not being able to find a job something just caused this kids, just to lose it.

To lose it and... set up a plan like this, go to a theatre and try to kill dozens of people?

Generally people who do this are interested in fame or infamy in some respect.

That doesn't really seem to go with 'snapped', though I guess I don't know what that means really.

 

[sunshinehighway]

When you hear of a terrible event like just happened in Colorado do you believe the perp was evil or mentally ill. I do believe evil exists. But I also think that when I hear of most of the truly terrible things that go on there is no way a sane person would do that. I believe we do not fully understand the brain or aberrations.
That said, I believe that we should be much more diligent in removing such people from the streets. If you are in any way judged to be unsafe to others you should be placed somewhere for the safety of those around you.

Oh that wouldn't cause problems. Let's just lock people up because someone thinks they might do something.

I know a few people I think are a little nutty. There are even a few kids I know that seem a little off to me. Lets lock them up before they do anything!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

When you hear of a terrible event like just happened in Colorado do you believe the perp was evil or mentally ill. I do believe evil exists. But I also think that when I hear of most of the truly terrible things that go on there is no way a sane person would do that. I believe we do not fully understand the brain or aberrations.

That said, I believe that we should be much more diligent in removing such people from the streets. If you are in any way judged to be unsafe to others you should be placed somewhere for the safety of those around you.

Nice in theory however not possible to do legally.

Although, I will say that killing child murderers would be a good start.

 

[marmalade]

That's a tough one. I think you kinda have to be mentally ill in order to be evil. Something just isn't right in their heads that makes them do this. I don't necessarily believed he snapped, this was preplanned and well thought out.

The part that is sticking with me is he didn't take his own life. Usually when these things happen the cowards take the easy way out. I think he knew exactly what he was doing and had a plan, a plan that included getting caught. But that's me, I am not sure what was going on in his sick head at the time.

Another thing, is that in jail even criminals have morals and standards and they don't take kindly to people like him.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

Both

 

[HappyArtist]

One in a hundred people have antisocial personality disorder, you probably know a few and don't know it. Most are extremely intelligent. Yes, there are so many factors on why someone snaps. Also when someone snaps, it doesn't mean they do something about it immediately, some do plot and plan.


One reason is child abuse is extremely under reported and prosecuted and goes on- generation after generation. More children have died due to child abuse in the US since Sept. 11, than all the people in the twin towers and soldiers fighting overseas. Who is fighting this war that is killing so many children and harming millions of other children (who don't die from it, but are affected?)

In Indiana alone and average of one child dies of child abuse a week. Wasn't on the news? hmmm....yeah and people wonder how something at Penn State could happen...

Some say you can't use someone's childhood to look for reasons on why people snap...well it is such a huge problem that really not very much is being done about it. There are a lot of wounded walking our streets everyday, who didn't fight in a war overseas but in the own houses growing up by people who they should have been able to trust the most. That kind of thing does impact a person for the rest of their lives.

One can heal from this, but it takes a huge amount of work.

It makes me sick when I hear people say, who saw this guy's nice home and nice looking father, he came from such a good home and neighborhood. Well child abuse happens (not to say he was abused, we don't know) in all income levels, in good neighborhoods and bad.

 

[reelmom]

When I see this I feel angry and sad nobody saw this coming or was able to remove them from the street. But I also feel bad that this young person wasn't helped for themselves and I feel for their family.

According to a new report yesterday, his mother was quoted as saying it didn't surprise her when told her son did this. If this is true, it is a shame that his family was not able to help him when younger. If this is a true quote, them there was something that somebody might have seen coming. Just nobody could predict the horrible outcome.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Oh that wouldn't cause problems. Let's just lock people up because someone thinks they might do something.

I know a few people I think are a little nutty. There are even a few kids I know that seem a little off to me. Lets lock them up before they do anything!

I obviously don't mean because somebody points a finger. I mean a person has seen counselors and psychiatrists who all see some sever psychopathic problems. Family members are concerned and possibly afraid of the person. The person is continually non-compliant with medications and fails to attend sessions, etc...I know we can't lock up every person who is a little off and I know that hospitalizing persons who show serious problems doesn't guarantee we will prevent things like this. I understand it costs money. But ask me if I'd rather have a network of assisted living facilities for persons like this where they can be safe and receive help or spend the money on a war in Iraq. I have heard mental health practitioners who are saddened by the number of mentally ill persons who have been put back on the streets. I am saying we do not treat mental illness properly in this country. If it was considered a true illness like cancer then sick people would be given more help. Episodes like this are symptoms of our poor system.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Anyone who can do what he did is mentally ill. Mental illness can be evil. Something is wrong, their brain is not right.

^^^Nailed it.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I obviously don't mean because somebody points a finger. I mean a person has seen counselors and psychiatrists who all see some sever psychopathic problems. Family members are concerned and possibly afraid of the person. The person is continually non-compliant with medications and fails to attend sessions, etc...I know we can't lock up every person who is a little off and I know that hospitalizing persons who show serious problems doesn't guarantee we will prevent things like this. I understand it costs money. But ask me if I'd rather have a network of assisted living facilities for persons like this where they can be safe and receive help or spend the money on a war in Iraq. I have heard mental health practitioners who are saddened by the number of mentally ill persons who have been put back on the streets. I am saying we do not treat mental illness properly in this country. If it was considered a true illness like cancer then sick people would be given more help. Episodes like this are symptoms of our poor system.

Has it come out this guy had seen counselors or psychiatrists? I haven't seen anything about his mental state. You can't treat someone who doesn't want to be treated. There are many mentally ill people who refuse treatment. Sick people have to want help. Mental illness isn't like cancer so its not a fair comparison. People with cancer generally want help and seek it out, that can't be said for many people with mental illness.

 

[Ponygirl]

This is a story about a small town high school principal that went off the deep end a few days ago: http://www.4029tv.com/news/arkansas...ood/-/8897460/15608752/-/mextx7z/-/index.html

Otherwise, he seemed to be a fine upstanding citizen. Before he butchered the family dog in the nude, then turned on his wife, that is. Psychotic break, drug usage, or just plain evil?

 

[Tiggeroo]

Has it come out this guy had seen counselors or psychiatrists? I haven't seen anything about his mental state. You can't treat someone who doesn't want to be treated. There are many mentally ill people who refuse treatment. Sick people have to want help. Mental illness isn't like cancer so its not a fair comparison. People with cancer generally want help and seek it out, that can't be said for many people with mental illness.

Because the part of their brain that tells them this is not normal, go get help isn't working. Some people may even think counselors and family members are the devil. Sometimes you have to force help on a person. I don't know about this young man. We will see.

 

[John VN]

IMO, first hand experience with an individual suffering through a mental illness problem is the only way one can truly understand.

 

[Bilberry]

What a terrible tragedy. It will be interesting to learn more about the mental health history of the deranged gunman. I was reading a little yesterday about how shy and introverted James Holmes was thought to be. The killer didn't seem to have friends. Having those characteristics certainly doesn't make one a killer, obviously, but it does show he had mental or health issues that possibly could have been helped.

I've read recently that violent crime in America has dropped considerably over the last few decades. One difference though has been these crazy mass shootings - they are on the increase. Watching the news last night I thought former practicing psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer had an informative take on the mentally ill in todays America. When he was practicing medicine in the 1970s, more could be done to separate mentally unhealthy people from the public. Today, for better or worse, it is more difficult to do that.

"Krauthammer: Aurora shooting a reminder that concerns for civil liberties may lead to improper treatment of mentally ill"

http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/21/k...iberties-trump-how-we-treat-the-mentally-ill/