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I'm a big music lover and player, and mostly that's what my blog is about, but today I would like to reflect on problems with our mental health system.
I am a teacher at a small college; I teach in the Education Department, preparing the next generation of teachers.
I am really concerned about the trend of shooters in schools of all levels. What concerns me the most is that when the life of the shooter is examined, there is almost always some kind of major mental health problem or some kind of major reason for alienation that has gone on in their lives.
When the guns come out, it's too late. What can we do to prevent this?
I think part of the problem has to do with what goes on socially in schools--in particular, the many varieties of bullying that take place in person and now over the internet and cell phones.
Another part of the problem is much deeper.
How do we define mental health? When we describe people from the outside, by their behavior, we are missing about 90% of what is going on with them. The most recent shooter at Northern Illinois University was described as an excellent student last year.
How do we balance an individual's right to freedom with other people's rights to safety? Professors and students who knew the Virginia Tech shooter agreed that something was seriously wrong with him. At least one professor encouraged him to get counseling--and yet there was no way to require a person above the age of 18 to get mental health care based on his outward behavior. He appeared to be no overt threat in terms acceptable to the legal system (which would enforce a mental health evaluation).
I believe we can address this serious problem in two ways. One alternative is to put metal detectors everywhere. The second alternative is to have a serious reconsideration of our understanding of mental health and our response to it, including ways in which schools can support the social, psychological, and moral development of children and young adults.
Metal detectors can always be subverted in one way or another. Someone who really wants to shoot other people can figure out how to do it, no matter how many metal detectors we deploy. I believe the only viable response to domestic terrorism in the form of suicide shooters is to work hard and try to use our resources to prevent people from WANTING to shoot themselves and others.
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