Overview: Most school shooters do not suffer from severe mental illness, a new study finds. When psychosis is present, mass murderers in academic settings use means other than firearms to commit crimes. Consistent with previous research, the majority of school shootings are male and white, and almost half of school shootings end in the perpetrator’s suicide.
sauce: Columbia University
Researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) examined 82 mass murders that occurred at least partially in academic settings around the world and found that most mass murderers and the shooter were found to have no severe mental illness.
Led by Ragy R. Girgis, MD and Gary Brucato, PhD, Associate Research Scientist, the study also found that most mass murderers used firearms, with semi-automatic or fully automatic firearms being the most common. understood. Stabbing was the most common method of mass murder in schools without firearms.
The study was published online on October 27. forensic journalis the largest analysis of school shootings ever conducted, according to the study’s authors.
“Our findings suggest that school shootings are distinct from other forms of mass murder and should be viewed as a separate phenomenon,” said the Center for Prevention and Assessment, a research clinic. (COPE) Director Dr. Girgis said. At Columbia/NYSPI, which specializes in the study and treatment of young adults at high risk for schizophrenia and other psychoses.
“To prevent future school shootings, we need to focus on the cultural and social factors of these types of events, such as gun glorification and gun violence, rather than individual predictors.”
To conduct the study, researchers analyzed data from the Columbia Mass Murder Database (CMMD) developed by the COPE team to gain much-needed insight into the relationship between serious mental illness and mass shootings. The creation of CMMD included extensive reviews of 14,785 homicides published in English, either in print or online, around the world between 1900 and 2019.
In a study of school shootings, researchers isolated mass murders that took place at least partially in schools, colleges, and universities, categorized by location (within the United States or outside the United States) and whether firearms were used. Did.
Of the 82 mass murder cases involving academic settings:
– Nearly half (47.6%) and the majority (63.2%) firearms were based in the US
– Consistent with previous reports, perpetrators of mass shootings involving academic settings are predominantly white (66.7%) and male (100%).
– Severe mental illness (such as psychosis) was not found in the majority of perpetrators.Psychotic symptoms, if present, are associated with mass murder in academic settings involving non-firearm means
– Nearly half (45.6%) of school shootings ended in the perpetrator committing suicide
Co-author Paul S. Apelbaum, MD, and Elizabeth K. Drood, professor of psychiatry, medicine, and law at Columbia University, says that identifying mental illness as the primary cause of violence is misleading.
“The findings strongly suggest that when talking about the risk of school shootings, the focus on mental illness, and psychosis in particular, overlooks other factors that contribute to the majority of incidents. Dr. Apelbaum.
Noting that nearly half of the shooters took their own lives at the scene, the authors hypothesize that the perpetrators may see themselves as involved in some form of final act. increase.
The researchers hope the findings will help lawmakers and law enforcement officials better understand the phenomenon of school shootings and how they differ from other forms of mass murder. Hope it helps. The authors also emphasize that these data cannot be used to predict behavior at the individual level.
About this research news on mental health and mass shootings
author: Carla Cantor
sauce: Columbia University
contact: Carla Kanter – Columbia University
image: image is public domain
Original research: closed access.
“Mass Murder Involving Firearms and Other Methods in Schools, Colleges, and College Settings: Findings from the Columbia Mass Murder DatabaseBy Ragy R. Girgis et al. forensic journal
See also
Overview
Mass Murder Involving Firearms and Other Methods in Schools, Colleges, and College Settings: Findings from the Columbia Mass Murder Database
Mass murder, especially involving the use of firearms in academic settings, is serious and of growing public concern, but identifying consistent patterns to aid in prevention has proven difficult. .
Some characteristics, such as male sex, are routinely associated with these events, but severe psychiatric illness, another postulated risk factor, makes predictions less reliable.
From the Columbia Mass Murder Database (CMDD), we isolated mass murders committed at least partially in schools, colleges, and universities, categorized by location (within the United States or outside the United States) and whether firearms were used. Demographic similarities and differences between groups were analyzed statistically where possible.
We investigated 82 mass murders involving academic settings in one way or another. Almost half (47.6%) of all incidents and the majority (63.2%) related to firearms were based in the United States, while those not related to firearms occurred primarily elsewhere (88.0%). ).
Consistent with previous reports, perpetrators of mass shootings involving academic settings are predominantly Caucasian (66.7%) and male (100%). Severe mental illness (ie, psychosis) was not found in the majority of perpetrators (firearm: 80.7%; non-firearm: 68.0%). Nearly half (45.6%) of school shootings end in the perpetrator’s suicide.
Psychotic symptoms, if present, are associated with mass murder in academic settings involving non-firearm means.
The question of whether the perpetrators of such incidents perceive their actions as a sort of final act may strengthen policy formulation and/or law enforcement intervention methods.
