2. Issue & Claim
There has been an increase in the number of mass school shootings since the
infamous Columbine shooting in 1999.
There is an undeniable connection between mass school shootings and
mental illness.
3. Large-Scale School Shootings
Columbine High School Shooting
• Littleton, CO.
• April 20, 1999
• 12 students and one teacher killed; 20 others wounded
Virginia Tech Shooting
• Blacksburg, VA.
• April 16, 2007
• 33 people dead (including shooter)
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting
• Newtown, CT.
• December 14, 2012
• 26 people at the school were shot (20 first-graders and 6 teachers); shooter’s
mother and shooter both dead
4. The Shooters
Columbine mastermind (18) (current student at the time)
Columbine accomplice (17) (current student at the time)
Virginia Tech shooter (23) (former student at the time)
Sandy Hook shooter (20) (former student at the time)
***All of these individuals committed suicide after they shot their victims.
5. School Rampage Shootings
Criteria: (1) Public, (2) shooter attended or formerly attended the school, (3)
multiple victims either shot at random or specifically targeted
Statistically rare
Common misconceptions
• Video games or movies cause violence in adolescents
• Bullying causes students to lash out or seek revenge
6. Mental Illness
A study on School Rampage Shootings in 2009 defined the Columbine
accomplice and Virginia Tech shooters as psychotic; Columbine mastermind
was defined as psychopathic
Disorders & symptoms seen in the shooters: Schizophrenia, Schizotypal
Personality Disorder, affective flattening, poverty of speech, delusions,
paranoia, narcissism, sadism, and anger
It is important to note that mental illness is not the cause of the shootings,
rather a factor in which influenced and motivated the shooters.
7. So What’s the Connection?
Angry, vengeful, not emotionally stable individuals who turn to violence in
attempt to solve their problems
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators such as internal struggles, harassment, past
shootings, and “infamous” mass killers
Undiagnosed or untreated mental illness, or in some cases, diagnosed but
ignored or not taken seriously
These rare, but deadly mix of factors = a recipe for disaster
8. Could These Shootings Have been
Prevented?
If the shooters received “proper” treatment, would they have killed all those
people?
• Most likely, yes, because they were beyond the point of being helped
Popular questions are centered around the shooters’ family and many people place
the blame on them
Steps taken: Seattle Social Development Program, Mental Health First Aid USA,
Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), and Florida SelfDirected Care program
Registry has been proposed, but it was concluded as being ineffective
Notoriety often motivates shooters
9. The Counterargument
Contrary to popular beliefs and stereotypes, research shows that those
diagnosed with a mental illness are rarely dangerous.
Quite the opposite is found to hold true: mentally ill individuals are more likely
to be hurt themselves than to hurt others.
There is some truth to the stereotype, however, because there are extreme cases
in which schizophrenics whom have stopped taking their medications or
bipolar individuals in a manic state exhibit violent behavior.
10. Sources
Langman, Peter. "Rampage School Shooters: A Typology." Comp. Mary Ann
Swaitek. Aggression and Violent Behavior 14.1 (2009): 79-86. Science Direct. Elsevier B.V.,
06 Dec. 2008. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.
"Media Coverage and Mass Shootings Connected?" Mass Media and Public Shootings.
WorldNow, 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
Newman, Katherine, and Cybelle Fox. "Repeat Tragedy Rampage Shootings in American
High School and College Settings, 2002-20." American Behavioral Scientist 52.9 (2009):
1286-308. Sage Journal. Sage Publications, 5 Mar. 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Passer, Michael W., and Ronald Smith E. Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior. New
York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2011. Print.
Shern, David, and Wayne Lindstrom. "After Newtown: Mental Illness and Violence." Health
Affairs: At the Intersection of Health, Health Care, and Policy 32.3 (2013): 447-50. Health
Affairs. Project HOPE: The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc., Mar. 2013. Web. 23
Mar. 2015.
"Timeline: Deadly School Shootings since Columbine." USA Today. Gannett, 19 Apr. 2014.
Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
