Does anyone have a mentally ill relative who is capable of a mass shooting?

[Anonymous]

People who are not mentally ill kill people every day. They shoot up their neighborhoods, kill their wives, stab their kids. They even shoot at thousands of people from a hotel window. Why are you not concerned about them OP? Instead, you're on the internet, stigmatizing people with mental illness, who are far more likely to harm themselves than others. I feel bad for your brother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

Mass shootings are still a very rare event. I wouldn't worry that your brother would do this unless he's made threats are collects guns.

the sandy hook, Littleton Colorado, gabby Gifford, Virginia tech and at least one of the columbine shooters were obsessed with guns long before the shootings.

I didn't know that about Cho and guns but had read that he'd been diagnosed with autism as a young child and later schizophrenia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who are not mentally ill kill people every day. They shoot up their neighborhoods, kill their wives, stab their kids. They even shoot at thousands of people from a hotel window. Why are you not concerned about them OP? Instead, you're on the internet, stigmatizing people with mental illness, who are far more likely to harm themselves than others. I feel bad for your brother.

many of them have undiagnosed mental illness and/or substance abuse problems

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it possible to get a type of long-lasting medication patch or shot like you might use for birth control so that people with mental illness have to at least go to a doctor to have it removed before deciding to go off meds? I'm not suggesting forcing it but just that the added step of having to see a doctor and discuss why it's a bad idea to go off the meds might help keep them on more!

The only thing this kind of rhetoric accomplishes is to stigmatize mental illness so that people who need help are less likely to seek it. People with mental illness are not the problem re: mass shootings. The insane accessability of extremely lethal guns is the problem. There's no reason to think the Vegas shooter had any mental illness. The only reason people are talking about that is because our culture's only two explanations for mass shootings are Muslim terrorist or white mentally ill loner.

Even if you accept that our gun laws will never change, the factors that most correlate with serious violence are not mental illness, but: a history of childhood abuse, binge drinking, and male gender. (See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4318286/) Should we require all men to take that drug that doesn't allow alcohol to metabolize? That would probably save more lives than your "patch for the mentally ill" idea.

+1

Another actual risk factor that often doesn't get talked about is a history of domestic violence.

Most of these people are not mentally ill. They are people with a grudge against the world who have easy access to lethal weapons. I don't think that this guy "snapped." He bought dozens of guns, and there is nothing spur of the moment about what he did. It took planning and resources. What he appears to have had is a gambling problem.

Yes. What he did is unfathomable to most people but may not mean he was mentally ill. You can be a terrible person without being mentally ill. Re the gambling - I wonder if he had a huge gambling loss or something. Or if he just decided that he really wanted to kill a lot of people. Certainly he planned this pretty methodically and cleverly. Not a spur of the moment thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More suicidal family members than homicidal.

Fewer of those family members all the time.

It might get lost in all the noise, but this broke my heart for you PP. I am sorry and hope you have peace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who are not mentally ill kill people every day. They shoot up their neighborhoods, kill their wives, stab their kids. They even shoot at thousands of people from a hotel window. Why are you not concerned about them OP? Instead, you're on the internet, stigmatizing people with mental illness, who are far more likely to harm themselves than others. I feel bad for your brother.

Because some of them need to be stigmatized. You are saying all the right things, and your rhetoric is spot on - but I'm sure you never get your pretty little hands dirty with the real mentally ill. The violent ones or in shelters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I have a bipolar brother who suffers from severe depression and mania. His life is an emotional roller coaster. When he is on his meds, he is functional. Most people may not know he has a mental disorder. Then he'll go off his meds when he is feeling better and he spirals out of control. I don't know if Stephen Paddock had a mental illness but whenever there is a mass shooting tragedy, I think of my brother. I have nightmares about him hurting others sometimes. He has therapists and sees doctors regularly. I just worry about him and it makes me sad.

My brother too. Same dx but he also abuses alcohol and pills. I am more worried he'd kill his wife. Possibly the kids. He's been arrested for domestic violence but she refused to testify. But I know of at least four other incidents of violence. And that's what I, a distant sister, know about. So I'm sure there is more. People who do that keep it as secret as they can.

The glimpse into that instability is scary. I feel like anything is possible.

And he also has assault weapons.

Let's say he shoots them up today. Would you think--"I should have done/said something?"

I'm puzzled why you assume that I haven't done anything.

What have you done? Honestly in your situation there seems to me to be very little you can do without possibly making it worse. Make sure SIL knows you'll be there if she needs you but otherwise....there is no easy fix.

What haven't I done? Worked with his therapist to assist with certain issues. At his request.... Tried to get him help for drinking. Offered him a place to stay. When the child abuse started, I called CPS. Later I helped his ex obtain full custody. Called the police when he abducted his son. Provided resources for domestic violence to his wife. She's mentally ill too. Provided information to my brother on a local program that helps abusers. Said more nicely than that of course. The kids are out of the house and soon to be adults. I've washed my hands of him now...

He punched out an employee at work, once. It's not limited to his wife. Nobody pressed charges. If you ran into him at a school event, you'd think he's handsome, charming, and friendly. An involved father. I guess that's why he often gets a pass for much of this behavior. People like this are out among us and most of us have no clue....