The recent media attention on Elliot Rodger’s Isla Vista, California mass murder/suicide and on John LaDue of Waseca, Minnesota’s alleged foiled bomb plot illustrates the complexity of the issue of youth violence.
Whereas Rodgers was noted to have a long history of severe psychiatric symptoms, LaDue was described as a young man who did well in school and who had no obvious symptoms of a mental health disorder.
Additionally, the overwhelming majority of individuals who have severe psychiatric disorders similar to Rodgers’ do not engage in acts of violence. The media tends to oversimplify the questions of what can be done to predict and to prevent violence. Unfortunately, by focusing on these types of rare events, the media tends to sensationalize the issue and sheds little light on the overall topic of youth violence. For more information on this topic, please download my presentation, “Psychiatric Aspects of Youth Violence” and my paper, “School Shootings and Student Mental Health: What Lies Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg” in the articles and papers section of this website.
Whereas Rodgers was noted to have a long history of severe psychiatric symptoms, LaDue was described as a young man who did well in school and who had no obvious symptoms of a mental health disorder.
Additionally, the overwhelming majority of individuals who have severe psychiatric disorders similar to Rodgers’ do not engage in acts of violence. The media tends to oversimplify the questions of what can be done to predict and to prevent violence. Unfortunately, by focusing on these types of rare events, the media tends to sensationalize the issue and sheds little light on the overall topic of youth violence. For more information on this topic, please download my presentation, “Psychiatric Aspects of Youth Violence” and my paper, “School Shootings and Student Mental Health: What Lies Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg” in the articles and papers section of this website.
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