The boy in NJ who shot and killed mom, dad, sister and family friend was autistic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I can't even believe I'm saying this because I'm not at all a conspiracy theorist and I know that these drugs help many people-- but I do wonder if there are more harmful side effects than we are made aware of and that people who take them need much closer monitoring.

I am not a scientist, lol. But i wonder if there is some additional side effect that makes the risk of psychotic episodes/aggression/suicide/self harm/depression (all listed by the drug companies as possible side effects to those drugs) amplified by the surge of testosterone that boys naturally get during that phase of puberty around the later teen years to early 20s.

So instead of self harm, suicide, depression, etc they end up with uncontrollable rage/violence bursts/psychosis towards others.

Because these kinds of kids are more likely to take these kinds of drugs, it makes it appear that it is the disorder causing the mass shootings, when in reality it is a side effect of the drugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I can't even believe I'm saying this because I'm not at all a conspiracy theorist and I know that these drugs help many people-- but I do wonder if there are more harmful side effects than we are made aware of and that people who take them need much closer monitoring.

All the antidepressants come with a warning about paradoxical reactions like suicidal ideation and increased anxiety, so the parents should always monitor their kids for any changes and call the doctor immediately if there is a change. That said, depressed and anxious kids are at higher risk either way, but the risk with antidepressants is much lower than the risk without them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I don't know. Cho (VT shooter) was apparently not being treated for his psychiatric problems. Adam Lanza's mom may not have been able to manage his medication - I read somewhere that he had retreated to his bedroom, blacked out his windows and was communicating with his mom via the internet.

I think that some of this is due to the fact that these are normal, regular parents trying to handle severe psychiatric illnesses all by themselves with no training, no support, little guidance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I can't even believe I'm saying this because I'm not at all a conspiracy theorist and I know that these drugs help many people-- but I do wonder if there are more harmful side effects than we are made aware of and that people who take them need much closer monitoring.

I am not a scientist, lol. But i wonder if there is some additional side effect that makes the risk of psychotic episodes/aggression/suicide/self harm/depression (all listed by the drug companies as possible side effects to those drugs) amplified by the surge of testosterone that boys naturally get during that phase of puberty around the later teen years to early 20s.

So instead of self harm, suicide, depression, etc they end up with uncontrollable rage/violence bursts/psychosis towards others.

Because these kinds of kids are more likely to take these kinds of drugs, it makes it appear that it is the disorder causing the mass shootings, when in reality it is a side effect of the drugs.

One possibility is that a kid who is being treated for depression is actually bipolar, but never had a prior manic episode. In that case, a manic episode can come on suddenly and since the parents have never seen anything like it before, they don't know how to respond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are guns accessible and who taught him to shoot? I hate this country's gun laws.

It was an automatic weapon. A family living on New Jersey’s shore needs automatic weapons for what??
You can’t help some people you just can’t.
We should have better gun laws to protect the rest of us from these kinds of reckless idiots.

Not automatic. Semiautomatic.
http://www.app.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2018/01/02/long-branch-shooting-bill-keeping-guns-kids-stalled/995087001/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I don't know. Cho (VT shooter) was apparently not being treated for his psychiatric problems. Adam Lanza's mom may not have been able to manage his medication - I read somewhere that he had retreated to his bedroom, blacked out his windows and was communicating with his mom via the internet.

I think that some of this is due to the fact that these are normal, regular parents trying to handle severe psychiatric illnesses all by themselves with no training, no support, little guidance.

State of Connecticut wrote a report on Lanza. It's a case study of what not to do with an autistic kid. He was obsessed with violence and was not being properly treated. He was not recieving therapy or medication at the time and he was clearly showing signs of depression as he corresponded about his obsession on the internet. His mother allowed him to isolate himself for years despite professional advice not to do that. The schools did not fulfill their positive duty to identify and address all areas of educational need. And despite his obsession with violence (which his mother may not have fully appreciated) she gave him access to her guns and taught him how to shoot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I don't know. Cho (VT shooter) was apparently not being treated for his psychiatric problems. Adam Lanza's mom may not have been able to manage his medication - I read somewhere that he had retreated to his bedroom, blacked out his windows and was communicating with his mom via the internet.

I think that some of this is due to the fact that these are normal, regular parents trying to handle severe psychiatric illnesses all by themselves with no training, no support, little guidance.

My response earlier isn't intended to say that these drugs don't help people- I have friends who have said that anti-depressants have literally save their lives-- but I think you are spot on that these parents are trying to manage mental illness without enough support. I *cannot* imagine leaving a gun unsecured with kids or teens in the house, period. Or leaving a gun unsecured, period- you never know who may pop by for a visit as a few grandparents have tragically discovered.

[Anonymous]

Usually when something like this happens, the shooter has gone into his own world, has pushed family away and is doing his own thing....which is not completely unheard of behavior for teens who do tend to seek some amount of independence from their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are guns accessible and who taught him to shoot? I hate this country's gun laws.

It was an automatic weapon. A family living on New Jersey’s shore needs automatic weapons for what??
You can’t help some people you just can’t.
We should have better gun laws to protect the rest of us from these kinds of reckless idiots.

Not automatic. Semiautomatic.
http://www.app.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2018/01/02/long-branch-shooting-bill-keeping-guns-kids-stalled/995087001/

Doesn't make much difference in this case. You can still fire a lot of rounds quickly with a semiautomatic. I agree with the law that proposed New Jersey law. Should also apply to the mentally ill. Mental illness and guns don't mix.

[Anonymous]

The family would have been saved if they did not own a gun. Adam Lanza certainly should not have had a gun at his house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I don't know. Cho (VT shooter) was apparently not being treated for his psychiatric problems. Adam Lanza's mom may not have been able to manage his medication - I read somewhere that he had retreated to his bedroom, blacked out his windows and was communicating with his mom via the internet.

I think that some of this is due to the fact that these are normal, regular parents trying to handle severe psychiatric illnesses all by themselves with no training, no support, little guidance.

State of Connecticut wrote a report on Lanza. It's a case study of what not to do with an autistic kid. He was obsessed with violence and was not being properly treated. He was not recieving therapy or medication at the time and he was clearly showing signs of depression as he corresponded about his obsession on the internet. His mother allowed him to isolate himself for years despite professional advice not to do that. The schools did not fulfill their positive duty to identify and address all areas of educational need. And despite his obsession with violence (which his mother may not have fully appreciated) she gave him access to her guns and taught him how to shoot.

I think anyone with common sense reading about Lanza's home environment would have realized that he was a ticking time bomb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I don't know. Cho (VT shooter) was apparently not being treated for his psychiatric problems. Adam Lanza's mom may not have been able to manage his medication - I read somewhere that he had retreated to his bedroom, blacked out his windows and was communicating with his mom via the internet.

I think that some of this is due to the fact that these are normal, regular parents trying to handle severe psychiatric illnesses all by themselves with no training, no support, little guidance.

My response earlier isn't intended to say that these drugs don't help people- I have friends who have said that anti-depressants have literally save their lives-- but I think you are spot on that these parents are trying to manage mental illness without enough support. I *cannot* imagine leaving a gun unsecured with kids or teens in the house, period. Or leaving a gun unsecured, period- you never know who may pop by for a visit as a few grandparents have tragically discovered.

Maybe the parents who are careless like that are overwhelmed, depressed, somewhat suicidal themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I don't know. Cho (VT shooter) was apparently not being treated for his psychiatric problems. Adam Lanza's mom may not have been able to manage his medication - I read somewhere that he had retreated to his bedroom, blacked out his windows and was communicating with his mom via the internet.

I think that some of this is due to the fact that these are normal, regular parents trying to handle severe psychiatric illnesses all by themselves with no training, no support, little guidance.

State of Connecticut wrote a report on Lanza. It's a case study of what not to do with an autistic kid. He was obsessed with violence and was not being properly treated. He was not recieving therapy or medication at the time and he was clearly showing signs of depression as he corresponded about his obsession on the internet. His mother allowed him to isolate himself for years despite professional advice not to do that. The schools did not fulfill their positive duty to identify and address all areas of educational need. And despite his obsession with violence (which his mother may not have fully appreciated) she gave him access to her guns and taught him how to shoot.

I think anyone with common sense reading about Lanza's home environment would have realized that he was a ticking time bomb.

His mom was overwhelmed and probably angry. Her life with Adam was miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meet stigma head-on. People on the spectrum are much more likely to be the targets of harassment and violence than the other way around.

Or to put it another way, if everyone with ASD was a gun-crazed murderer there would be nobody left on the planet.

This is truly a tragedy on multiple levels for this family and their community.

But it is not proof of some kind of link between ASD or mental health challenges and the rates of gun deaths in the US.

Every single kid who does a mass shooting is also medicated for things like anxiety, depression, etc.

I think the issue is the pharmaceutical drugs and side effects on young men in particular, that are being glossed over that are the true cause of these mass shootings.

I don't know. Cho (VT shooter) was apparently not being treated for his psychiatric problems. Adam Lanza's mom may not have been able to manage his medication - I read somewhere that he had retreated to his bedroom, blacked out his windows and was communicating with his mom via the internet.

I think that some of this is due to the fact that these are normal, regular parents trying to handle severe psychiatric illnesses all by themselves with no training, no support, little guidance.

My response earlier isn't intended to say that these drugs don't help people- I have friends who have said that anti-depressants have literally save their lives-- but I think you are spot on that these parents are trying to manage mental illness without enough support. I *cannot* imagine leaving a gun unsecured with kids or teens in the house, period. Or leaving a gun unsecured, period- you never know who may pop by for a visit as a few grandparents have tragically discovered.

Maybe the parents who are careless like that are overwhelmed, depressed, somewhat suicidal themselves.

I certainly wondered about that with Nancy Lanza, if she just gave up, and this family in NJ--the mom sounded very depressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are guns accessible and who taught him to shoot? I hate this country's gun laws.

It was an automatic weapon. A family living on New Jersey’s shore needs automatic weapons for what??
You can’t help some people you just can’t.
We should have better gun laws to protect the rest of us from these kinds of reckless idiots.

Not automatic. Semiautomatic.
http://www.app.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2018/01/02/long-branch-shooting-bill-keeping-guns-kids-stalled/995087001/

Doesn't make much difference in this case. You can still fire a lot of rounds quickly with a semiautomatic. I agree with the law that proposed New Jersey law. Should also apply to the mentally ill. Mental illness and guns don't mix.

I agree with you, and with the proposed law, but facts matter. The early reporting was calling the gun automatic - which are virtually illegal everywhere - and that was incorrect.