Here is an incredible resource I just came across. It is actually meant as a research site for journalists but has a great deal of information about mass shootings from a sociological and psychological perspective and a very helpful bibliography of important research papers on this and related issues.
The campus of the University of Colorado
One thing that we can say with great certainty is that very dramatic and unfortunate events inevitably evoke substantial anxiety. Events like the Aurora tragedy challenge our sense of the world being an orderly place. In the face of this type of psychological challenge, it is natural to search for answers as a way to restore our sense of order. We also tend to search for someone to blame-again, if the event can be explained and if it is someone’s fault, it helps us feel that the world works along orderly principles . Sometimes though, this anxiety leads us to jump to unfounded conclusions and sometimes, it can also lead us to make unfounded policy decisions in order to feel as if we are regaining control of the situation (and the world).
A few important points for college mental health clinicians and administrators to remember:
1) While Mr. Holmes was a student at University of Colorado and earlier college shootings have received much attention, in fact, murders on college campuses are very rare events. The rate is about 1 murder/1 million students/year
2) Suicide is a much more frequent event with a rate of slightly below 1 suicide/10,000 students/year
3) Binging on alcohol is a frequent event. Reports put the frequency of up to 35% of students reporting binging every 2 weeks.
4) Suicidal ideation is also a relatively frequent event. Rates are reported to be between 6-10% of students seriously consider killing themselves in the course of a school year.
In light of the above, while schools need to plan for crises and disasters they need to resist the urge to make policy that is driven by fear of very rare tragedies. There is much more benefit to be derived from strategically addressing the way more frequent issues: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and substance abuse.
