Quick note on shootings. 4-24-18

Just because people engage in mass shootings, bombings or the use of vehicles to kill DOES NOT mean they have a mental disorder. What amazes me is I have spent up to a 4 hours of a clinical interview. Then did psychological testing with the individual for up to 12 hours, and people still questioned my judgement/analysis of that person. Now, someone engages in one of the above acts, and people don’t even hesitate to assign a mental disorder! For most people reading this, we consider intellectual conversation the means by which to resolve problems or differences of opinion. That is our philosophical stance. We need to accept that others believe in the use of force, and killing, the way to deal with problems.

One thought on “Quick note on shootings. 4-24-18

  1. It’s easy and lazy to label a shooter as mentally ill. It seems reflexive or automatic for some people to turn to this label. I think for some people, it’s comforting. By giving the person this label, the person is seen as separate from society. The individual is considered not normal. The idea is that the person can be locked away and the rest of the world moves on. Also for some, this label offers a sense of understanding or explanation. Humans want to know why. But it reinforces the stigma that many mental ill people face. Society at large still has major misconceptions about what exactly makes a person mentally ill. Some people have preconceived notions of what that means and looks like. Movies have sometimes done a disservice to mentally ill people. Societal references and expressions such as that person is crazy or that’s insane, minimize and dilute the meaning of mental illness. There is a huge difference from a clinical diagnosis and a personal observation. But when you speak in psychological terms that some people do not understand, you are told you are speaking psychobabble. Psychobabble is another one of those dismissive terms used to deflect from individual discomfort and ignorance. The intent is to attempt to discredit what you are talking about. In reality, it shows the foolishness and insecurity of the person using this term. I also think it’s scary for society at large to consider the possibility that a shooter is not mentally ill. Some people cannot wrap their heads around that concept.

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