Why No One Knew 

2024 was plagued with violent outbursts of mass killing resulting in multiple deaths almost 10 times a week. Stanford University defines mass killings as three more victims not due to gang violence or the drug trade. A total of 711 people have been killed and 2,363 people have been wounded in 585 shootings. For each of the last four years there have been more than 600 mass shootings - almost two a day on average.

These statistics are difficult to hear, much less dig into for more detail. A social work correspondent we work with, who specializes in mental and emotional recovery of family members left behind after these horrific incidents, wanted to help us understand how these incidents can happen so frequently without warning.

SWC: "Most mass shootings are not "terrorist incidents". That label has been rather glibly pinned on these terrible incidents of violence against innocent people because our society has no plausible answer as to why people do such things. However, a closer examination of mass shooting incidents reveals a greater component of mental illness as the most immediate cause."

GVT: Can you give us some examples?

SWC: "Let's take a look at some of the most recent incidents from 2024. I will try not to be too graphic and still give you an accurate take on the matter."

1. A man entered the home of his estranged wife armed with a rifle and shot and killed her and two other people. Afterwards, the man kidnapped a child from the home and brought the child to his home where upon being confronted by police the man told the child to walk to the officers before shooting and killing himself. (Dec. 27th, South Carolina)
2. Officers responding to a home in the Canyon North neighborhood after they received a call from a teenager that their dad was armed with a machete and a gun and wasn't "supposed to be there" were met with gunfire as they approached the home, leaving one officer wounded. Police returned fire, killing the man, and found two teenagers inside the home suffering from gunshot wounds, with one later succumbing to their injuries at the hospital. (Dec. 20th, Oklahoma)
3. A man broke into a home in Mahomet and shot and killed the three occupants, a woman and her adult children. Later the same day, the man travelled to Berwyn where officers responded to reports of an armed man and, upon being confronted, the man fled and broke into a home where he shot to death two dogs before running from the home. (Dec. 18th, Illinois)
4. A man killed his wife and three children while critically injuring another teenager before killing himself. (Dec. 17, Utah)
5. A man fatally shot his wife and two children in an apartment before killing himself. (Dec 17 Milpitas, Ca.)
6. A 15-year-old student opened fire with a handgun inside a study hall at Abundant Life Christian School, killing a teacher and another student and injuring six others before killing herself. (Dec. 16 Madison, Wisconsin)

That is enough for now, but the list goes on and on throughout 2024 (585 incidents). It is easy to see that these incidents, and hundreds more, are a direct result of mental and emotional breakdowns in people who may have been hovering in the background, the degree of their disorder escaping our notice. This, I believe, is the dilemma we face. How do we spot mental and emotional illness before it progresses to madness? Gun control and terrorism are two entirely different issues."

GVT: What is our society missing here?

SWC: Everyone suffers at one time or another from some form of anxiety and depression. We think it's our job to support them, help them or, if nothing else works, let them be. We rarely expect anyone we know well to advance to a complete breakdown until they do, and then it's often too late.

GVT: How can we catch this in time?

SWC: "Many signs suggest that a person is about to experience a nervous breakdown. Some of these symptoms are physical, psychological, or behavioral. Depending on the underlying cause, these symptoms may differ from person to person.

Some of the symptoms of a mental breakdown include:

• New or increased feelings of anxiety and depression 
• Extreme mood swings 
• Difficulty concentrating or focusing 
• Irritability or angry outbursts 
• Insomnia 
• Fatigue 
• Racing heart
• Panic attacks
• Low self-esteem
• Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 
• Suicidal ideation or self-harm
• Changes in appetite
• Back pain 
• Muscle pain 
• Frequent illnesses 
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Losing interest in favorite activities
• Abusing alcohol or drugs  

"If you witness a progression like the classic one described above, I suggest that you contact a mental health professional and leave the evaluation and corrective action to them. What we must never do is mislabel or ignore the progression of symptoms. As you can see that often leads to a horribly violent conclusion."