Shooting at Virginia Tech

[wolf]

Originally Posted by sycamore

I'm not sure what exactly you're saying here, Wolf. If he was schizophrenic, it certainly could have been a result of environmental and/or psychosocial factors.

Most of the current research indicates that schizophrenia is a brain disorder, either chemical or structural. Stressors can exacerbate symptoms, but they don't cause the disease.

Originally Posted by sycamore

1) "If it bleeds, it leads"...that's journalism in today's society. Did the police really expect NBC to sit on it?

NBC only posted the excerpts they did because they were given permission. Frankly, I'd love to see the entire manifesto, including all the video clips.

I collect crazy guy manifestos whenever possible.

I have some good suicide notes, too.

Originally Posted by sycamore

So is April the official month of crazy? Look how much bad shit has happened in April in this country.

I go to a conference every other year on Critical Incident Stress Management. Three times, half of the conference speakers (mostly the FBI guys and other sorts of feds) have had to leave because "something happened." "Something" being things like Branch Davidian, Oklahoma City, and Columbine ... all occured during the conference.

We actually experience a lull in April at the nuthouse. When I left work tonight we were at 64% capacity. We usually are closer to 95%, and gone as high as 116%, but usually manage to cap things at around 105%. Yes, we end up with more patients than we have beds.

Originally Posted by AgentApathy

To look at these figures, it seems like we need to balance US suicide figures against those of others where violence is "less rampant." Do you really think that suicides will cease to happen if guns aren't available, or (more likely) that people will just find another way?

Although they get a lot more attention, I deal with relatively few suicides by firearm. Based on my own experience, I'd put #1 at overdose, #2 cutting, #3 jumping from high places. #4 kind of sorts out to CO poisoning, hanging, and other (I had a suicide attempt by toothpaste ingestion once). It stands to reason that a higher number of completed suicides are by firearm, but I don't think it would #1 for attempts. Stats on completed suicides are pretty easy to find, I've searched around a bit and can't find any for attempt without completion. There are 16 attempted suicides for every completed suicide according to the CDC.

Originally Posted by duck_duck

That is an unrealistic comparison because guns are designed weapons and cars are not.

Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than ALL of my firearms (and knives and swords).