Inside Mind Of Mass Murderer

Psychiatrist Discusses Teen Depression Taken To Extreme

(CBS)  What motivates a teenager to go on a killing spree like the one Robert A. Hawkins went on in an Omaha, Neb., mall Wednesday?

His rampage left eight people dead before he turned the gun on, and killed, himself.

Psychiatrist Dr. Harold Koplewicz, director of the Child Study Center at New York University Medical Center, told co-anchor Harry Smith on The Early Show Friday, "It's very troubling that we have to have a terrible event like this for us to discuss this. Let's take this in context, though.

"The good news is most psychiatrically ill young adults do not kill people, do not have violent episodes, and even don't kill themselves. However, the psychiatric illness itself really damages them. But it does happen. So, every year in this country we lose 5,000 kids to suicide. Between 14-and-24. They kill themselves. This (incident in Omaha) is a suicide, also.

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For a wealth of resources on depression in adolescents, click here.

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"And depression is the No. 1 reason people kill themselves. And we do see warning signs of depression at least two years ahead of time. People suffer a very long time before they ever come to our attention. So, there are warning signs."

Depression, Koplewicz says, is "definitely on the rise, but I think, most importantly, that Americans have to recognize adolescence, which does occur between 13-and-24, is the prime time for when you're going to get depressed.

"We're not talking about demoralization. We're not talking about bad things happening. But it's much more common during adolescence than it is during childhood or adulthood. When you become very old, a geriatric, over 65, a whole different problem.

"So, during adolescence, there are 2 million people who have depression. Out of those 2 million, some of them get very sick. This year alone, we'll have 600,000 teenagers who will try to take their lives and will need medical attention.

"Just think of it from an economic point of view. Forget about the humanity of it. They will need a tremendous amount of services from an emergency room. So, this is a real public health problem that we have to address. Parents and educators have to understand what are the warning signs of depression."

If parents see signs, what should they do?

"First thing, go to your pediatrician or family practitioner. Find out if it's a virus, a flu, if it's physical. If not, if it's depression, you have to get it treated. Treatment works, and then you have to make sure the kid takes the treatment. Remember, when you were a teenager, you wanted to be the same as everybody else, and the last thing you want to do is be sick. But if you leave these kids untreated, these diseases, particularly depression, it only gets worse. It doesn't get better.

The drugs this animal took and the drugs that the Columbine killers took might be what created these monsters. The main stream media won''t report on this news because of advertising dollars from Big Pharma.

[misseskleen]

I have a 16 year old son who has RAD who was diagnosed as early onset RAD which is the disorder the doc was talking about .These children do not have a concience because in the early years of developmet you teach them how to love and trust and it begins at birth alot of kids that have been placed outside the home at an early age and that are bounced from home to home form trust issues .Children who live in foster homes and orphanages suffer from RAD. This "desease" is treatable but never,does the individual,it usually starts with behavior patterns that are unusually for their age group. Their thinking patterns are based on attention for that love and they then love but then push others away and it is so misuderstood.my son whom I still support has been in treatment for the last 11 years and with close monotoring and meds and attatchment therapy he is doing better but still testing that attatching trust,he''s been afraid of loving in fear someone will leave him. sometimes as in my situation leaving a child to provide a safer life will sometimes have reverse effects.....so what do we do??????

[kaelinda]

This article doesn''t tell us why the guy killed other people than himself. If he thinks he is no good himself, does he ascribe that quality, or lack of it, to other people? Or is the truth of the matter simply that even though he thought he was no good, he also thought "I''ll show ''em! I AM important! They''ll be sorry!" before he shot so many innocent bystanders?

[godofredo29]

Once again we have journalists practicing their creative writing as if they all graduated with MFAs. The correct title should have been "Inside the Mind of a Suicide." All the facts about suicide are laid out (and have been for a long time) in the CDC suicide fact sheets. There''s nothing mysterious here.

[gkc99]

So is that how Darth Cheney thinks about things?

[klifton2-2009]

When the harm is done, the "experts" come out from their woodwork and analyze the situation. If they can''t prevent the destruction and the mayhem, what then are the "experts" good for? We do not want explanations, we want to know how such a tragedy can be prevented. In America, it is one violent day after another from the White House down to the common folks. It appears to the world that American lives are cheap and such impression has credibility.

[opinion8]

I just saw the Early Show and this story aired yet again. I understand it may be very newsworthy, but to continue to feed on this type of event is why some of these troubled individuals do what they do; because we give so much attention to their event. If this Omaha story continues to air, I guess I''ll go back to watching "Law and Order?" on TNT.

[sandycat2]

Cathomas71, you are lucky that your daughter is happy. Depression is often hereitary and can run in families and people can become depressed even though they have very good lives. The mall shooter was mentally ill and severely depressed. You can see this by his suicide note where he says he is totally worthless and no good to anyone so he might as well end it right here. That is how a severely depressed person feels, like they are no good. I suspect also from his note that he thought he was becoming famous by killing these innocent people. I guess he got that from from our culture of mass killing that is growing here in the US. I think I will keep my guns for my own protection.

[photogeezer]

What goes on in the mind of someone who has military firepower, including ammunition, and doesn''t keep it in a gun safe? Did the shooter know these people? Did they let on to a known nut case that had they had an AK?

[michellem99-2009]

Was the male at the centre of this story bullyed for looking like a girl as he was not the blame for this.I am female and born female. When I was younger I walk in a fast fast place and they address me as Sir. I could not buy the ladies things I needed as they thot I was a male. I got tired of that. I told this one lady I have the same parts as yer do. My wt. was 100 pounds. My father named me Barbara Ann and that is a girl''s name. I told them it is Miss/ ma''am and not Mr/sir. That was /is the main reason I carried ID. I have to prove my age.
I have said there is no need for combat style guns in the hands of the public.

[notblue]

This is a real tragedy, this young man stole the gun he used to kill innocents from a relative. The Mall guards were unarmed, why??????, would it have saved lives if these gaurds could have fired at this gunman? Who knows, but in todays society of misplaced blame and lack of respect for life coupled with a lack of personal responsiblity it''s apparent that law abiding citizens or law enforcement are at a disadvantage if they are not allowed to match force with force. People would think twice about these senseless slaughters if they suspected they could be taken out before or imediately after there rampage starts. It makes sense for pilots in this modern world of terrorism as well as security and law abiding citizens. Countless lives could be saved if we could all get past "it''s the guns fault" and start focusing on the true cause and the logical not political response to that action.

[michellem99-2009]

I was bullyed on the playground by my peers. I gave it right back to them. In my day males ruled as they were taught better then us girls. Male this/that. Females are for one thing breeding. I was treated as a 2rd class citizen growing up.
A good kid does not go out and kill. My room mate just told me*they are praising him* the gunman. This is the problem RAGE/ANGER. It has not/is not being dealt with, I grew up pissed and hurt. One poster asked us to put us in his shoes. I was abused in forster care. I have no desire to do what that person did. Yes I did shut down too scared to talk out of fear. If I did I be beated. I was taught by my father to tell the truth. My late grandparents knew how to raise kids. A foster mother stold my sight in one eye by slapping my face. here in this Most parents will buy them this/that just to get them out of their hair.

[samthetvcat]

Everytime a shooting happens, we as a society keep trying to analyze the shooter. I guess it''s human nature to do this so in the hopes that next time we can tell who''s going to turn out to be a shooter before they actually shoot anybody. But we as a society seem to have a pretty good profile of the typical shooter now, and there don''t seem to be enough unique characteristics to distinguish them from others similarly situated who don''t become violent towards others.

I think if we want to start lowering the risk of shootings, we need to:
1) Maybe better protect ourselves in big places (perhaps by having metal detectors or more security (?))
2) Having better mental health care across the board to treat all the at-risk kids even though this category is overbroad.

Unfortunately this all costs money . . . I''d rather we be spending it on this kind of stuff though than on Iraq - grrr!

[michellem99-2009]

I never had kids But know how they are to be raised. I would rather see a happy child that is perperly raised and on no mind benting drugs. They dress like trash today. I had a dress code and I knew better than break it. I knew what outfits my foster parents barred and they were not donned. She fussed over a plain looking blouse I picked out. It was allowed as it did not violate her dress code. The problem she had with it was it lacked flowers. I told her my dress code is plain garments. I will not wear a dress/skirt. No way. I don''t own one.
In my day we had 3 TV channels. We were not allowed to watch TV. I could not see to watch it. Todays TV shows are trash. They learn the trash hollywood pitches at the networks.
We were not given toy guns as gifts. They were barred. I grew up in gun free home. Church is not the answer. I grew up in homes that church was banned. I knew right from wrong.

[petesis]

I think too much is said about Depression and not enough about ANGER.

[petesis]

I am not offering this as an excuse... but perhaps put yourself in this kids position. He may not be the sharpest tool in the box. He has had a couple of minor brushes with the law that would rule him out for alot of jobs. (drugs and contributing to the delinquency of a minor probably for drugs with an underage friend). He drops out of school. What are his prospects? Then his girlfriend breaks up with him and he loses his job. He snapped. Why he felt the need to punish others for it? Maybe he felt he was being harshly punished himself.

[michellem99-2009]

I am 53. I know the life of a foster child. Thanks to a selfish step father. He told Mum to dump us on the town as he told her *I will not raise another man''s children*. I was 5. It was an awful life for a child. Yer talk about feel good education. In my day I was barred from attedind school as I was born legally blind with other phy. handicaps. At 10 I entered sp ed and I could not read,write spell do numbers. I am female. Teachers would not teach me as I was the only one with my sp. needs. They told me to my face. I was pissed and hurt. The basics robbed from me.By law I had to be in class. There were no large print. No help.
Now look at the shape of this Nation. Lazy parents. Doped up children or worse brats. Their parents brats. Nanny govt got their wish by telling parents what they can/can''t do in raising Jane/John Doe.I have seen kids sassing their MuM/Dad and the parents take it. Had I sassed the seniors/adults when I was growing up I heard about it and put in my place.

[cathomas71]

Gee what about our society could be depressing to kids? And instead of actually admitting what our society is doing to our future generations, we push drugs as the cure.

I mean really, what do our children have to be excited about? Our extreme selfishness resulting in broken homes, empty consumption leading to always being unsatisfied, a complete fundamental lack of responsibility at all levels, slow economic decline, feel good education that in the end does not feel good.Yeah, lots for our children to be excited about.


I agree... I vounteer alot at my daughters public elementary school and the kids look so unhappy. And so many of them are already on various types of psych meds. It is so sad and it breaks my heart because my daughter is so happy. They think she is abnormal because she is happy. Well, her father and I provide a good life for her and our kids are are first priority. Its not like that in too many families today.

[sreese4050]

To solve the issue of teen violence and depression, ect. we should be like the Spartans! Separate the weak from the stong and rid the world of such things! No, I think that gun control is not the issue and neither is depression. These kids just want to be famous in the most sick way that they can come up with: killing a number of people. So what your girlfriend broke up with you, you lost your job. Things could be worse. Get over it and move on. And the kid was sick, regardless of what his friends and family thought. Tale tell signs people!!!

[kindrox]

* automatic weapons *

Please tell me what crimes have been commited inside the USA with automatic weapons, in the last 50 years.

The North Hollywood shooting is the only one I can thik of, but those guns where ILLEGALLY converted in a machine shop.