Mass Shootings Research Paper

Mental illness significantly affects many around the world. In fact, about four-hundred and fifty million people worldwide suffer from one or more of the different known mental illnesses. That is one in every four people. Severe mental health issues such as severe anxiety disorder, antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, or sensory perception disorder are illnesses which are common among the people responsible for the numerous mass shootings in America. Many believe the possession of firearms in the hands of the mentally ill are the real cause of mass shootings. I agree with this statement. However, I do not solely blame the criminal for their actions due to their mental illness. Creating stricter gun laws, expanding mental health awareness

After his death, reports stated his untreated and undiagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, borderline autism and severe anxiety (New York Times). Although his mother had knowledge of Lanza having borderline autism, no doctors or psychiatrists were informed of the other serious illnesses. In the novel “Silver Linings,” by Matthew Quick, the main character Pat is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He had a mental breakdown that caused him to get admitted in what he called “the bad place.” Pat was married to Nikki whom he loved, but when he found out she was cheating on him it triggered him to become manic and beat the guy Nikki was cheating on him with until he was nearly dead (Quick 270). At “the bad place” Pat received all the necessary help he needed in order to live a normal life again. He spent years in the facility until he was finally allowed to go back into the real world. Pat received all the right treatments that aided him to better health. Lanza however received no medications or treatments causing his illnesses to corrupt his mind. If there was better awareness of his mental illnesses, Lanza would have been admitted to a mental facility where all the resources needed to help him recover would have been

Although many of these shootings occur every year, there many steps that can be placed in order to prevent them from occurring in the future. Creating gun laws that provide better background checks on the buyer and family can help lessen the chances of a mentally ill person from obtaining a gun. Spreading awareness of a person with a mental illness-or generally spreading information of the many different mental illness- can also help prevent mass murders such as Sandy Hook from occurring. Finally, researching ways to prevent mental illnesses from forming can help prevent these violent crimes. If the blame is on the illness, why not find ways to cease them from affecting more people? Guns in the hands of the mentally ill are believed by many is the reason why mass shootings happen. These are some of the preventative measures that can be placed in order to stop these heinous crimes from