Anger, Trauma and Young People | How They Got Their Guns
Criminal histories and documented mental health problems did not prevent at least eight of the gunmen in 14 recent mass shootings from obtaining their weapons, after federal background checks led to approval of the purchases of the guns used.
More: How They Got Their Guns - the New York Times
Ok, in my perusal of this article I found that of the 14 criminals:
7 had either learning or emotional disabilities or had documented mental illness
2 had a background of Domestic Violence in the family -or they were the perp.
1 documented case of PTSD
3 had previous encounters with Law Enforcement or
2 had known drug use
5 had involvement with the military
1 was bullied
1 was known to have affiliations with a White Power group
1 was known to have affiliations with a Muslim Terrorist group.
3 were involved in misdemeanor crimes or violent incidents
All of these are indications that the person might be experiencing a Trauma related mental illness.
Please remember that one does not have to be a veteran to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault can lead to PTSD.
-Had an earlier life-threatening event or trauma, such as being abused as a child
-Have another mental health problem
-Have family members who have had mental health problems
-Have little support from family and friends
-Have recently lost a loved one, especially if it was not expected
-Have had recent, stressful life changes
-Drink a lot of alcohol
-Are a woman
-Are poorly educated
-Are younger
Among Children and Adolescents abuse that can lead trauma isn’t something most people see as abuse or isn’t reported :
Child protection services in the U.S. get around three million reports each year. This involves 5.5 million children. Of the reported cases, there is proof of abuse in about 30%. From these cases, we have an idea how often different types of abuse occur:
65% neglect
18% physical abuse
10% sexual abuse
7% psychological (mental) abuseAlso, three to ten million children witness family violence each year. Around 40% to 60% of those cases involve child physical abuse. (Note: It is thought that two-thirds of child abuse cases are not reported.)
As President Obama talked about the prevalence of Angry Young Men in the world —it is interesting that anger and trauma are linked.
Anger is also a common response to events that seem unfair or in which you have been made a victim. Research shows that anger can be especially common if you have been betrayed by others. This may be most often seen in cases of trauma that involve exploitation or violence.
The trauma and shock of early childhood abuse often affects how well the survivor learns to control his or her emotions. Problems in this area lead to frequent outbursts of extreme emotions, including anger and rage
.
Perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way. Instead of focusing on Mental Health, in general, we need to be aware of the signs of Trauma and possible PTSD.
Mental Health as a label is very broad. The majority of people with Mental Illness do not commit violence against others. We, as humans, have a history of focusing on the label and not the cause. We think it is much easier and cheaper to deny rights to a group of people with a label, such depression, bi-polar etc, than to work to alleviate the causes with intervention and social services. We look at the scope of the issue and cry it’s too hard to complex, I can’t do it!
Yet, one caring adult telling a kid “It’s not your fault” can make all the difference.