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Mind of a Rampage Killer captures the complexity of this troubling issue. It's part of PBS' ongoing coverage titled After Newtown. You can watch it on public television or online at the PBS website.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
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The show put forth some interesting ideas in the area of research. The challenge of course is put very well by the psychologist that likened predicting a rampage killer to predicting a level five hurricane. All of the predictors might be there, but the person might never take that step towards the dark side which ends in violence.
ReplyDeleteAnother challenge lies in the potential for abuse of these advances, either intentially or not. There is already talk of various gun regulations that would lower the bar to make someone a prohibited person. Currently, you must be adjucated as mentally ill to qualify.
But there is already talk of getting providers to report patients to the police, and then that information be potentially used to restrict access to firearms. Then the question is, will the cure end up being worse than the disease. Especially with the importance of trust in the relationship between therapist and client. How many veterans struggling with service related issues will forgo treatment since it might result in being disarmed, potentially for life, since once so labeled, how do you prove you're cured? Or being successfully treated?