- Joined
- Apr 25, 2018
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- 5,549
One common theme shared by many of these shooters in the past 15 or so years is age and recent or current use of psychotropics. The Vegas shooter excepted. I don’t think they’ve figured him out two years later. Whether correctly diagnosed or not, these drugs affect young people significantly. Going off the meds is another hit to the neurons, especially if the discontinuation is abrupt.
A colleague’s daughter a few years ago was on a tricyclic antidepressant and was having some issues and had a conversation with her psychiatrist. With only a phone consultation, the doc changed her meds to Prozac, an SSRI. The girl was 19 so parental consent wasn’t required. Mom and dad didn’t know about the medication change and apparently weren’t aware of her escalating anxiety and thoughts of suicide, otherwise one would think they would have removed the firearm from the house. The teacher whose classroom was right next door to mine left that room one afternoon to go home and found her daughter dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
We are an over-medicated country messed up on booze, pills, weed, and a combination of all for many. We had access to guns 30-40 years ago but kids weren’t slobbering on their desks all day or bouncing off the walls every period during the school day. The pressures of being a kid these days is huge. I not only see it but live it with them. I’m about to start my 13th year teaching in a district which is high performing and high stress for all involved, especially the students. Psych meds and stress I’m sure isn’t the only reason people turn to murder, but it darn sure shows up in the profile of most of them.
A colleague’s daughter a few years ago was on a tricyclic antidepressant and was having some issues and had a conversation with her psychiatrist. With only a phone consultation, the doc changed her meds to Prozac, an SSRI. The girl was 19 so parental consent wasn’t required. Mom and dad didn’t know about the medication change and apparently weren’t aware of her escalating anxiety and thoughts of suicide, otherwise one would think they would have removed the firearm from the house. The teacher whose classroom was right next door to mine left that room one afternoon to go home and found her daughter dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
We are an over-medicated country messed up on booze, pills, weed, and a combination of all for many. We had access to guns 30-40 years ago but kids weren’t slobbering on their desks all day or bouncing off the walls every period during the school day. The pressures of being a kid these days is huge. I not only see it but live it with them. I’m about to start my 13th year teaching in a district which is high performing and high stress for all involved, especially the students. Psych meds and stress I’m sure isn’t the only reason people turn to murder, but it darn sure shows up in the profile of most of them.