The UCSB murder tragedy – painfully, this horrific reality is not the first nor will it be the last of it’s kind. The theme? Young adult men who are mentally ill. Elliot Rodger, the young adult male who is being discussed on media outlets this week for he is the person who went on a killing spree in CA, cited on a chilling youtube video feelings of loneliness, and a lack of companionship and intimacy as the underlying cause for why he will murder others. He reported that he will have his day of “retribution”. Ultimately he acted on his verbalization.
Previous Tragedies In Similar Theme:
We all recall previous tragedies of young adult males with mental illness who committed murder:
- Virginia Tech Shooting, 2007
- Gabby Giffords Shooting, 2011
- Colorado Theater Shooting, 2012
- Newton Shooting, 2012
Warning signs?
Yes there were! A pattern of depression, isolation, and if you watch Elliot’s youtube dialogue style there is an apparent lack of affect; which shows no tone nor inflection nor facial expression. A lack of affect is a tremendous warning sign. Also, on the list of things a parent would not want to do, contacting the police in response to their child is on that list. For a parent to get to that point, to contact the police, as a Psychotherapist/Family Therapist I will share with you that is an indicator that the problem has crossed over the line and a search would be the recommendation from a mental health position.
Watch Dr. Karen Ruskin on FOX News Channel’s Hannity:
Now available, for on demand viewing, I invite you to watch my interview on FOX News Channel’s; Sean Hannity’s program where I share my insights from the Psychotherapeutic lens, and Criminal Defense Attorney Remi Spencer shares her insights from the legal lens: The Mind Of A Killer.