Site of one of the nation's most high profile school shootings[/caption]Carol Forsloff — “Such a sad, desolate, lonely unsalvageable I feel I am,” Klebold confided to his journal. “Not fair, NOT FAIR!!! I wanted happiness!! I never got it!!! Let’s sum up my life. The most miserable existence in the history of time.”A young man speaks of his long-term depression that experts tell us is characteristic of one type of mass murderer. Dylan Klebold was one of the shooters at Columbine High School, one of the most high-profile cases of mass killings in American schools.
A growing number of people all over the world are diagnosed with what experts tell us is the second most disabling condition, with heart disease ranking first. The escalation of the problem may be part of a growing mental health problem impacting all communities around the world and part of a complex disorder that impacts the lives of many people and that may be a core issue related to the violence in our culture.
Experts tell us that up to 80% of all suicide deaths are related to depression. Furthermore there has been a dramatic rise in depression during periods of stress and economic crises, like the current one, where joblessness and financial problems continue to plague many individuals and families.
Clinical depression can lead to drug abuse, aggression, and negative thinking, characteristics that can lead to acting out behaviors. We are told that it affects approximately 1 in 10 people in the United States and a rising number of children and adolescents.
What is clinical depression? Pervasive sadness is just one of the major characteristics, also defined as the inside form of aggression, meaning that the manifestation of depression can mean increased anger and the inability to modify behavior when under stress. In fact some research indicates that depression is a major factor in the childhood of aggressive and violent individuals. Major depression is considered a risk factor for aggression. Furthermore, a high level of aggression is often a trigger for suicide.
Dave Cullen, the author of Columbine, wrote an article for the Daily Beast where he outlined some of the major characteristics of mass murderers. He examined the research on the types of mental health problems exhibited by these individuals that include three groups that include psychopaths, the delusionally insane, and the suicidally depressed. In fact,three years after Columbine tragedy, the Secret Service reported 78% of shooters had a history of attempting suicide or had suicidal thoughts. Many of these individuals died during or shortly after their killing rampage occurred.
The recent tragedy of the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and a mall in Clackamas, Oregon involved young men who killed themselves following their attacks on others. Jacob Tyler Roberts was 22 years old and Adam Lanza was 20. In neither case have experts diagnosed motive or mental illness type. What they have in common is the combination of mass murder and their own suicides. Cullen tells us most mass murderers believe they will die in the act. Many report at some time of wanting to "get even".
Determining the sequences of issues and the diagnosis of these two young men is unlikely to be early, given the conflicting stories regarding both Lanza and Roberts. As Cullen states: "Insanity or suicidal depression? Anyone who claims they can answer these questions this early is ignorant or irresponsible. But we will learn."
And in the learning, it is imperative that people take note of young people who suffer from depression and the potential for aggression as an outgrowth of its severity, according to experts. For although most people who are depressed are not mass murderers, a high percentage of those who kill others have childhood problems related to it and present a clear reason for quality mental health screening and treatment and early intervention.
