Virginia Tech Shooter - Mentally Ill?

This is such a horrible tragedy! Only time will tell as the authorities continue to search Cho Seung-Hui possessions for understanding of why this has happened. A previous teacher noticed extreme anger and from the small amount of information given by the police to the media regarding his writing. The possibility of paranoia and a psychotic disorder is not out of the question. See CNN...

As a society what can we do to provide protection for the community and give support to someone who was so tormented that he took the lives of so many people and himself. Of course, hindsight is always clearer.

My question is what can we learn from this? Is there anything that we (mental health professionals) can do to decrease the possibility of the happening in the future? What about more awareness and training for the non-mental health community. What does a teacher or fellow student do when they encounter someone that they are concerned about? What actions do they take and when is it appropriate to take action? Is this someone who is just angry OR someone who is mentally ill and possible a risk to himself or others? As mental health providers, we feel it is our obligation to educate those who do not have the training in the area to at least be able to recognize signs, have a system in place for evaluation and referral. Contact us for more information.

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