|
Noel Lopez
Professor Kilpatrick English 2010 April 26, 2016 Academic Essay Draft 2 What Are The Causes Of An Unhealthy Mind To Commit Mass Murder? Mass murderers have been a serious problem around America and it has shown that it can happen at any time at anywhere. Someone who decides to kill many innocent people as possible in a short amount of time (not to be confused with serial killers, who take their time with their killings to avoid the law and who have psychological pleasures with their kills). People seem to blame other certain things, such as music, video games, violence on television, religious views that may have motivated these individuals to commit mass murder. But what makes these murderers truly want to kill? With the restrictions of gun laws and all the anti-bulling campaigns, are we doing our very best to prevent such an act of terror from happening? Or are we focusing on the wrong thing? Inside the mind of a murderer is something unhealthy that may have caused these individuals to kill. This has been ignored and the public have failed to realize what that is. Most of the time, mass killings are committed by young men with hand held weapons such as guns. They are known as “the lone shooter”. Dr. Paul Mullen from Psychology today discusses the background of the common mass killer. According to Dr. Mullen, those who have committed these killings have had a difficult childhood. They were most likely bullied, were isolated, rejected and most of their time were loners. Growing up, they became depressed and build up hate towards others and only care about themselves. They then would see the world as the problem with their difficult lives. Wanting power and attention, they would get their revenge by murdering as many innocent people as possible. One of Dr. Mullen’s closes examples is Elliot Rodger. His drive-by killing spree took the lives of six people including himself in Isla Vista California. He wanted to punish women for rejecting and not him and punish other men who had better lives than him, even though Elliot had lived with a wealthy family (His father being a Hollywood director). Unlike most mass murderers, Elliot had warned everyone about his plan to the public that he was going to kill people who did him wrong when he released a YouTube video days before his mass killing spree. Rodger said “my life is unfair” in his video. He was tired of being rejected by girls that he had crushes on, he demanded a better life, but his way of solving his problems was to murder. Elliot felt rejected in his life, he was angry that no girl wanted to love him and hated being a loner. Dr. Mullen’s examples show how Elliot’s life turned him into a killer. If Elliot Roger was depressed in his life, was he prescribed any medication for his depression? According to Dr. Kelly Patricia O’Meara of CCHR International in the article “Will Lawmakers Investigate Elliot Rodger’s Psychiatric Drug Use or ignore it?” Elliot’s medical history shows that he had taken Alprazolam and Acetaminophen. These anti-depressants were to treat anxiety, panic disorder and to treat pain. Dr. O’Meara then mentions that the pills that Elliot had taken to help his depression most likely made his mind worse and finally took advantage of killing other and himself. Even though Dr. Mullen described that Elliot’s rampage was due to his background, Dr. O’Meara stated that it was because of the medication that Elliot had taken was the finishing touch for Elliot to commit his murders. The Theories of both doctors’ best described Elliot from his depression to the medications he had taken that made his into a killer. Elliot’s mind was already suffering from depression, he was then given medication to help him, but the medication somehow made it worse. When a human brain is severely damaged due to concussions and head injuries that is mixed with depression and prescription drugs, will it cause that person to commit murder? In 2007, Chris Beniot, a former pro-wrestler that performed for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), killed his family and later hanging himself inside of his home in Georgia. Dr. Chris Nowinski was a former pro-wrestler that now works for the Sports Legacy Institute, which studies the effects of brain concussions on athletes. Dr. Nowinski studied the brain of Beniot and believed that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a serious brain condition that can destroy nerve cells in the brain. Dr. Nowinski mentioned that Beniot suffered many concussions in his wrestling career, more than he can count. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy was the cause of Beniot’s killings. It was all over his brain according to Dr. Nowinski. Years of wrestling and blows to the head is what cause Beniot’s brain to become extremely unhealthy. Along with symbiotic steroids and pain killers that was prescribed to Beniot that was found in his system after according to his autopsy. The mind of Chris Beniot was unhealthy at a very dangerous level, enough to kill his family and himself, and with the prescribed drugs that he had taken didn’t help him at all. Dr. Nowinski and Dr. O’Meara studied individuals who had both committed murders because of what was going on with their minds. It can still connect with Dr. Mullen’s theory, but even though Mullen dose describe pain and depression, he does not mention medications that these killers are prescribed too that has been proven by Dr. Nowinski and Dr. O’Meara that it can hurt the mind even worse. One example that can bring all three doctor’s theories together are the school shooting at Columbine High School. In 1999, two students named Eric Harris and his friend Dylan Klebold opened gun fire at Columbine High School in Colorado. They killed twelve students, one teacher and then finally taking their own lives in the end of the massacre. Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, executive director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness in the article, “The Real Lesson of Columbine: Psychiatric Drugs Induce Violence,” says that the Columbine killers brains were washed up with serotonin, a chemical in which can cause violence, anger and aggression. Eric Harris was depressed and had suicidal thoughts. He was given Zoloft to treat his depression. But because of his desire to kill, he was under a doctor's care and was prescribed another anti-depressant medication. According to Dr. Tracy, Eric was prescribed Luvox, an anti-depressant that treats patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. This was supposed to help Eric, but it did little help and he still committed the murders. After the shootings, a huge amount of Luvox was found inside Eric during his autopsy. Even though Dr. Blake mentioned that Eric Harris took medication to help with his severe depression, the Food and Drug Administration gave warnings about Luvox. “In patients with depression, a possibility for suicide should be borne in mind”. It’s possible that this drug was the reason for Eric’s insanity and finally commit to what he wanted to do, kill. Dr. Tracy mentioned that Eric took Zoloft and Luvox, two anti-depressants to help with his depression. These days, someone who is suffering from depression, they are prescribed medication to help them overcome the problem. But because of the medication that they are prescribed too by a doctor, it can have the side effect to want to kill if the mind of the person is dangerously unhealthy. We rely on medication to help a troubled mind, meant to help depression and anxiety, but it is the effects of the medication that makes it worse. Elliot Rodgers, Chris Beniot, and Eric Harris all had unhealthy minds, and use prescription drugs to help with their problems, but all of them killed innocent people and finally taking their own lives. It’s easy to blame gun laws and the things that are on TV because that is what the media targets first, ignoring the true facts behind the murders. Dr. Mullen’s theory is common with all mass murderers. They were all depressed and they felt rejected from the world that it motivated them to kill innocent people. But according to Dr. Nowinski, and Dr. O’Meara, there is more to that. They show proof that it is because of an unhealthy mind and the medication that they are prescribed too, that it truly motivates these individuals to go out and kill. Even though these medications that are prescribed by medical doctors are meant to treat these ill minds, the Food and Drug Administration shows warnings and suicidal side effects that these drugs can give to the individual. An unhealthy mind of someone is the reason why there are mass shootings and murders, because of anti-depressants and other prescription drugs that these unhealthy minds take can cause them to go insane and kill innocent people. We are not doing our best to prevent another mass killing spree, we are in fact allowing them to happen. Holding a gun can be dangerous, but someone with an unhealthy mind can be far more dangerous. Inside the mind of a killer is an illness, and illness that is the true killer, and we can’t always rely on medication to solve the problem. Work Cited - Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, “The Real Lesson of Columbine: Psychiatric Drugs Induce Violence”, unknown author, April 11, 2011, Psychiatric Fraud, Link: http://psychiatricfraud.org/2011/04/the-real-lesson-of-columbine-psychiatric-drugs-induce-violence -Dr. Chris Nowinski, “Damaged Brain may have been the cause of murders” September, 2007 Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/09/05/brain-damage-may-have-caused-wrestler-chris-benoit-to-kill-family-doctor-says.html - Dr. Paul Mullen, “Inside the Mind of a Mass Killer”, article by Raj Persaud and Ramon Spaaij, Psychology Today, October 3, 2015, Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/slightly-blighty/201510/inside-the-mind-the-mass-killer - Unknown publisher “Ativan (luvox) - Food and Drug Administration” Food and Drug Administration Unknown date publish, Link: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2007/017794s034s035lbl.pdf |