Mass Shooting TragediesWe come across increasing media reports of mass shootings claiming the lives of hundreds of innocent people. These shootings take place in schools, religious places of worship, malls, and many other public places. Theses tragic events seem to be random acts of violence carried out by a ruthless, most likely mentally ill individual. In the case of school shootings, the perpetrator is often a student who may have been a victim themselves of bullying. Attempts to reduce the incidence of these tragic events are being made through the reform of existing gun laws. This is seen as a preventative measure to lessen the likelihood that a gun could be accessed by individuals with ill intent. However, research has found that the states in the United States with the most restrictive gun laws saw a 53% increase in the risk of a mass shooting event, so gun laws seem to be one piece to a larger puzzle.  The Mental Health of A Mass ShooterIt is important we examine the risk factors that could predict an individual’s chances of engaging in acts of violence against innocent people in addition to the reform of gun laws. A study published in the Journal of Loss and Trauma explores the myriad of risk factors that can be identified specifically in the case of the student responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting. The risk factors discussed in the study focus exclusively on the student’s environment and its ultimate influence on him claiming the lives of his peers. Could there be psychiatric risk factors as well that can help bring us closer to understanding how and why these mass shootings occur? Below are 6 risk factors that describe psychological characteristics commonly present among mass shooters. These risk factors give us some insight into the mental health and psychological dynamics of these perpetrators of mass shootings, that the individuals that commit these crimes may not necessarily have a mental illness, however, the presence of these characteristics predict a potential for engaging in acts of violence.  6 Psychiatric Risk Factors1. Social Isolation/Rejection
2. Narcissism
3. Self-Esteem Issues
4. Persecutory Delusions/ Paranoia
5. Suicidal Ideation
6. Depression
 Considering All The FactorsAn individual may present all of these characteristics and never commit acts of violence against others. Specifically, in the case of mass shooters, it seems to be a multifactorial situation, in which psychological/psychiatric factors interact with environmental factors leading the shooter to engage in an act of violence.
It is important to open up the conversation and take into account the many aspects influencing these types of events so that we can work as a community to prevent these tragedies in the future. Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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Surviving Much of life may feel like a balancing act between surviving and thriving. Surviving refers to our mundane day to day responsibilities which help to keep us a float and functioning within society. Some of these responsibilities include going to work, going to school, eating breakfast, getting an oil change. These responsibilities add value to our life in the sense that they keep us alive and facilitate our ability to continue fulfilling them. These responsibilities reflect this concept of “surviving”. ThrivingAlternately, the concept of “thriving” is less intuitive. Thriving refers to the meaning and value we assign to our lives and how we work towards fostering these values. Instead of the mundane responsibilities that keep us functional within society, thriving entails activities that we seek out primarily for the inherent value and meaning it instills within us, as opposed to the activity serving only as a means for survival.  We Need Both It’s clear we need both surviving and thriving to live holistically healthy and balanced lives. However, we find that survival can overshadow any attempts towards thriving. We have mounting responsibilities that are central to our life. If we don’t go to work, we risk losing our homes. Surviving is the corner stone of our existence so it is natural that it tends to overshadow the concept of thriving. In fact many feel surviving is more important than thriving because in order to implement the concept of thriving into our lives we must be surviving at a sufficient level. Eating healthy, practicing good sleep hygiene, exercising are small steps we can take towards thriving. Finding small moments of relaxation, such as listening to music, reading about a topic that interests you, cooking, and spending time with a friend are also small activities that push us closer to the concept of thriving. Balancing Surviving & Thriving The key seems to be balance. Too much of one disrupts our sense of inner peace and overall mental health wellness. When thriving becomes more central to surviving, we may find ourselves unstable financially. When surviving dominates any attempts towards thriving, we may find ourselves extremely stressed, anxious, and in a constant state of worry.
Finding a balance between the two is a day to day process. Our responsibilities are fairly consistent each day, we go to work at a set schedule, we pick our kids up from school at the same time during the week. Our activities for relaxation may not be this structured. It’s good to start with small acts each day and let them facilitate the fulfillment of our responsibilities. Balancing surviving with thriving makes life more meaningful, more enjoyable, and allows us to make sense of the pain of survival. Given we have infinite responsibilities that are difficult to “get out of“, we are left with the choice of trying to minimize our responsibilities, or making sense and meaning of them. In rising above this survival mindset we enter a higher level of thought process and we are able to transform our pain into something greater. Traumatic Events Traumatic events seem to be common place in today’s world. It seems we see a stream of never ending media reports of mass shootings, migrant children being separated from their parents, natural disasters uprooting children and families from their communities, and reports of other traumatic experiences. It is estimated that 40 % of children are affected and experience a traumatic event during their life. Some of these experiences trigger an overwhelming response of care and support from those around them which helps these children to recover from their traumatic experience. However some children grapple with their traumatic experience and struggle to recuperate. They experience frequent flashbacks of the event, which puts them in a constant state of anxiety, fear, and sadness.  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms in Children These children exhibit symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The symptoms of PTSD we are most likely to observe in children include:
Treatment for PTSD PTSD symptoms in children can be treated under the guidance of a trained mental health professional who specializes in working with children and can provide a comprehensive assessment of the child’s symptoms and what the best course of treatment will be. Treatments available and found highly effective for children with PTSD include: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
These treatments help children with PTSD to recover control of their life and path, the children systematically accept the trauma and become free of their symptoms. Contact our office below to speak with a child psychiatrist who can help you on the road towards recovery. Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Understanding The “Quick Fix” We all experience pits in life that affect us emotionally. It's a natural human response to our environment and everyone experiences these types of situations. Some things we can handle in stride and others may affects us more deeply in ways we can't manage as easily. It feels natural that we seek immediate relief from these painful emotions. In certain situations a short term fix feels like an impulse towards survival, no one wants to be consumed by the painful experiences we all go through and it is a relatable circumstance across the board. We are human, we have consciousness and complex emotions so it comes with the territory. It sounds cliche but it is also very truthful. This concept of a "quick fix" in relation to our mental health struggles is founded in the fact that these negative emotions we experience usually don't disappear along with the fix. Typically they remain and can recur again at moments we can't really anticipate. In the case of depression, some individuals who experience depressive symptoms may turn to other substances as a form of relief. Some of these substances may include alcohol, marijuana, and other types of drugs. These substances give us an instant relief from our harsh reality, however in the long term we see the destruction they can cause in our life.  The Long Term Solutions Found In Psychiatric Treatment This concept of a quick fix versus a gradual process can be evidenced in some of the medications prescribed for psychiatric disorders. We find that gradual prescribing is healthier for the body in the long term as opposed to instant relief. Antidepressants typically take 6-8 weeks to work for the most part. It takes time for the serotonergic receptor to sensitize to the whole process of starting an antidepressant. Experiencing a flood of serotonin in the brain would give an instant sense of relief, however, because that receptor is essential in many other bodily functions aside from one's immediate mood, it is a shock to the body and does more harm than good subsequently. Your body would feel instant relief from depressive symptoms, however, after the immediate effects wear off, the body will be in a state of repair to compensate and make sure all the other bodily functions are operating correctly again. The gradual process of antidepressant medications creates a much better prognosis for the long term management of depressive symptoms, as opposed to the quick fixes that an individual would have to repeat each time they experience difficult negative symptoms.  The “Quick Fixes” That Can Also Be Found In Psychiatric Treatment Xanax, on the other hand, works on the GABA-A receptor mainly, and this leads to relief very quickly. The problem with this is the brain starts to crave more and more of the GABA-A neurochemistry transmission in a “drug induced” form, which becomes increasingly more difficult to provide from natural neurochemistry (i.e from meditation, listening to music, or doing activites that at one point produced relaxation). Alcohol works on the same GABA-A receptor, and works in a very similar manner to Xanax. Long term effects of Xanax (benzodiazepines) and alcohol lead to increased need for greater amounts of stimulation of the GABA-A receptor for relaxation. The Healthiest Approach For Mental Health Struggles Patients sometimes do not wish to start the process of starting an antidepressant, because they want “a quicker fix”, and many psychiatric patients are reminded that the process of having strong mental health does not happen overnight.
It is a process which requires consistency and professional guidance. Psychiatrists are trained to help patients manage their symptoms. Some of these symptoms may be the manifestation of more complex emotions and require more treatment than that offered by a “quick fix”. Meditation, listening to music, can provide us access to a more natural, and holistic neurochemistry transmission. We feel instant upliftment from these activities and experiences without inducing dependence and damage to our health. These are considered “quick fixes” but have potential to create long term positive change. In addition to these holistic approaches, there are also safe and effective psychiatric treatments available as well. There is also Ketamine treatment available which theoretically provides access to a deeper neurochemistry to help one psychologically process their own difficulties in life, similar to the pathways of MDMA psychotherapy that has been studied recently. The path towards mental wellness unfolds throughout the course of our life. Having the proper resources and knowing the most effective treatments that are available to us makes the path easier. |
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