Health and Psychology

I was asked yesterday by two different parents of autistic adolescents if their children will become mass murderers. Psychology list serves are talking about gun control, problems with arming teachers, and lamenting treatment for mental illness.  And I just thought of the shooting as a terrible tragedy until I saw the CBS 48 hours Tonight special last night which provided a timeline on the shooting.  Then I became very upset.  So let me share what I heard last night, because I think it's been missed by most.

Adam Lanza is described as developmentally delayed, exceptionally bright, and a loner from a wealthy family.  His parents divorced.  His mother had several guns.  A long semi-automatic rifle, a semiautomatic pistol, and an additional semi-automatic rifle.  She did not own an illegal assault rifle.  All her guns were bought legally.  She kept them safely stored at home and taught her children how to shoot and how to use guns safely.  

Adam killed his mother, smashed two computers and took his mother's three guns and drove her car to Sandy Hook elementary school.  He then killed several adults as he gained entry to the school.  911 was called.  Police were on the scene right after the first wave of shooting started.  The school went on lock down.  Adam forced his way into an initial classroom and killed a first grade teacher.  The children fled the room as their teacher was shot and ran out of the school.  The police officer entered the school and saw Adam about 200 feet down a corridor armed with a rifle. The officer then decided to WAIT FOR BACKUP.  Most police carry a .357 magnum Glock.  A bullet from that travels about 1400 feet per second.  While he waited, Adam ducked into a classroom and began shooting the majority of his victims.  As the officer's partner arrived they heard multiple shots as Adam killed the children and himself.

I wouldn't be so upset if the officer had fired and missed.  But to wait and do nothing makes me wonder about his training and any policy that's in place.  If there is a policy that says the officer is to wait, that policy needs to be revised.

Here's what I said to the parents of the autistic adolescents.  There are hundreds of thousands of autistic spectrum individuals.  Two have shot up schools.  One in Virginia, one in Connecticut.   What we know about mass shooters is that they are significantly depressed and angry.  The people around them generally didn't realize things were wrong or if they had some idea things were wrong they didn't have any idea of what was planned.  In retrospect, people can second guess who should have known what and when.  As psychologists our ability to predict who will be violent is quite poor.  We do best when someone says they want to kill people.  We do better when someone not only says they want to kill people but they also have a history of violence.  But if some child or adolescent is hitting, biting, or getting angry, it doesn't mean that they will become a mass murderer.  It does mean the family needs some assistance in managing the behaviors and getting resources.

We have background checks and waiting periods on purchasing guns.  Significant military grade weapons are illegal to own.  Many schools have instituted lockdown policies, single entry entrance points, and in some cases metal detectors.  Sandy Hook had just instituted new safety policies which did little to prevent tragedy.  The police response, while quite rapid, was also quite poor.

I've had a couple of incidents where I contacted 911 to help maintain order with someone who was threatening or potentially violent.  I was home alone when an older adolescent scaled the fence into my yard with a stick and I pulled the alarm and called 911.  Six minutes later, four officers and later an additional four officers and a dog arrived and chased the teen through the neighborhood until they lost him.  I was in an office where a drunk and disorderly client was screaming and the office called 911.  No one came.  I was in an office and was attacked and strangled by a woman who was a family member of a client I was seeing in treatment.  I was rescued by staff after we used a stun gun to keep her at bay and tried not to harm her.  She was not arrested.  She had told family her intent was to kill me to be able to plead not guilty by reason of insanity to an unrelated assault against a police officer charge.  I got a restraining order.   I also stopped believing law enforcement would be available when needed.  A few years later I bought a gun.  When a stranger not only pounded on my front door but also attempted to open the door and checked the knob, I showed the gun through the window next to the door and he ran off.  A neighbor down the street held the robber at gunpoint until police arrived when he evidently attempted to break into that house.  I'm glad I own a gun.  I'm glad I've never used it.  I hope never to have to.  A few years ago a large man burst into a classroom where I was teaching.  I called 911.  The police arrived more than an hour later.  A student gave the man $20 to leave the classroom.  The school hired security.  We did drills to make sure students would leave the room if someone entered without authorization.  I have no illusion that 911 will provide me any adequate help.

If police are not going to respond adequately to emergencies then it might be prudent for schools and other organizations to have armed security guards like banks do.  It might also be prudent to look at how criminals and individuals with known mental illness get access to guns and limit that access.