I have been in a state of shock since waking on Friday morning to the news of the mass shootings in Aurora, CO. Now the hard questions are being asked. What could have been done to prevent this? Were there any signs that should have been reported to police? What about stricter gun laws? Could someone in the audience with a gun have limited the distruction (Concealed Carry).
I have a Masters in Social Work from the University of Illinois and have worked with disturbed people in inpatient settings and as a School Social Worker.
As a mental health professional I have a responsibility to provide confidentiality for my clients. Without this assurance of confidentiality our ability to serve clients would be very limited. However, we are required to notify authorities if we deem a client is "a danger to self or others." This in not an easy task.
The young man who went on a murdering rampage at Northern Illinois University actually attended classes at the same Social Work School where I recieved my MSW. The Colorado Killer had been in a PHD program. There may have been signs of problems but we cannot force people into treatment. Others with psychiatric problems may not be able to afford treatment. I saw this in my work in schools. We have a community mental health clinic but getting service there can involve long waits for an assessment and then more long waits because the providers are overloaded with clients. Parents give up or cannot get their child to appointments because of other committments or lack of transportation.
Adults who have been diagnosed and are recieving treatment cannot be forced to take the medication. Some stop because they cannot afford the treatment. Others stop because they feel better and can spiral back into crazy quickly.
WE NEED DO DEVELOP BETTER WAYS OF DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH IN OUR COUNTRY.
The other issue that keeps coming up is gun control I support the 2nd Amendment but I do believe training, licensing, and reporting are important. In these high tech days why can't an alert be sent to law enforcement agencies when one person buys huge quantities of amunition and other items that can be used to create bombs.