Jared Lee Loughner's Decline Case Study

Case Study 3: Jared Lee Loughner’s Decline
LeeAndra Covarrubias
Department of Psychology: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Psyc 4342
Dr. Bermio-Gonzalez
May 7, 2023
Case Study 3: Jared Lee Loughner’s Decline
Jared Lee Loughner was 22 years old when he decided to show up at Congresswomen Gabriella Giffords’ “Congress on Your Corner” event carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol, and 3 60 round loaded magazines with the intention of killing her and other government officials. He killed 6 and injured 13 others causing him to face 7 life sentences along with an additional 140 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to 19 counts of murder and attempted murder during the superseding indictment on March 3, 2011. Jared Lee Loughner was described as

He underwent a complete personality change after his girlfriend left him, however, this was just the cherry on top of everything else he had been going through. His neighbor expressed that the family was always private which was indicative of abuse and could have been a factor long before his girlfriend left him. His friend Zachary confirmed this as he described Loughner’s home as a “hostile” environment. Loughner’s parents were alcoholics which he claimed would abuse him during his childhood. Personally, as a daughter of an alcoholic this story hits home as that could have easily been my life had I not had others around supporting me. I believe that Loughner struggled because he lost the supportive things in his life that made the environment at home bearable. Alcoholism is a disease that hurts everything in its path and Loughner’s story is a prime example of that. From his hostile life at home to a series of rejection from his love, friends, and government, he felt he had to reject everything back picking up an antisocial/paranoid persona along the

His high school friend Zachary also explained that Loughner would say weird things and consciously dreamt while being awake. These could have been delusions he was experiencing from the drugs that he was taking. The symptoms of psychosis had been there for years as his school/work performance declined, he self-isolated himself, experienced strong emotions of anger, and behaved inappropriately. His experience of abuse at the hands of his parents, the stress of rejection, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse could have been the long-term cause that caused a psychotic break all those years later. The drugs that Loughner had been abusing while his brain was still developing as a teenager were Salvia Divinorum which is an illegal hallucinogen, cannabis, psychedelic mushrooms, and LSD along with tobacco. Most of the drugs he was abusing were major hallucinogens that took an effect on his brain which is likely what made him completely develop mental issues. The methods I would have used to find this out would be interviews not just with Loughner himself, but with his former classmates and parents as