Statement of American Psychological Assoc President in Response to Mass Shootings in Texas, Ohio

[ehrnst]

“As our nation tries to process the unthinkable yet again, it is clearer than ever that we are facing a public health crisis of gun violence fueled by racism, bigotry and hatred. The combination of easy access to assault weapons and hateful rhetoric is toxic. Psychological science has demonstrated that social contagion — the spread of thoughts, emotions and behaviors from person to person and among larger groups — is real, and may well be a factor, at least in the El Paso shooting.

“That shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, as it should be. Psychological science has demonstrated the damage that racism can inflict on its targets. Racism has been shown to have negative cognitive and behavioral effects on both children and adults and to increase anxiety, depression, self-defeating thoughts and avoidance behaviors.

“Routinely blaming mass shootings on mental illness is unfounded and stigmatizing. Research has shown that only a very small percentage of violent acts are committed by people who are diagnosed with, or in treatment for, mental illness. The rates of mental illness are roughly the same around the world, yet other countries are not experiencing these traumatic events as often as we face them. One critical factor is access to, and the lethality of, the weapons that are being used in these crimes. Adding racism, intolerance and bigotry to the mix is a recipe for disaster."

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/08/statement-shootings?fbclid=IwAR2d6H7FHPli3nFYjwjMNBdn---0AfWQxvG_1dNdysGDeWJ4y3qtcsSrJQI

[BigmanPigman]

1. Psychological Science shows us

how easy it is to radicalize and how mental illness WITH easily available guns makes our country unique.

How does sending thoughts and prayers help than?

[LEW]

2. racism, bigotry and hatred

struggling to cope with this...Very very true words....

[ladjf]

3. I've been waiting for the Psychological Assoc to take the lead on the mass shooting causes.

[True Blue American]

5. Guess what?

Mental illness does not lead to planned massacres. Mentally Ill people have problems of their own.

[AllyCat]

8. No kidding.

I know LOTS of people with mental illness. Not ONE of them has shot, stabbed, killed, or maimed anyone.

[True Blue American]

9. I heard from a Nurse

In the Mental Health unit for years. She said not one committed murder.

Trump said,” Guns don’t kill, people do. Well, if that killer did not have a gun in his hand he could not kill anyone.

Weapons of War. They should not be on our street!

Oh, God, they just showed Mitch waving a gun at the NRA!

[ladjf]

11. I said nothing about "mental illness".

My concern is that Trumps continued outburst about the immigrants and against black and hispanic people. I and many others believe that his terrible leadership is causing the shooting sprees. If so, he needs to be silenced if possible. The psychology experts could add weight to the theory that he and the right wing talk show hosts are creating exacerbating the terrible ideas in the minds of the shooters.

[True Blue American]

13. We were not referring to you.

Just observations of what we know and hear.

[SHRED]

4. Thank you

[nolabear]

6. Ah, thanks! I posted it too. Will delete.

[world wide wally]

7. everyone that kills innocent people is mentally ill, but not everyone who is mentally ill kills

innocents people. (Hardly any of them do)

[paleotn]

12. Not true, unfortunately....

Racist hatred isn't necessarily a sign of mental illness. 1930's / 1940's Germany didn't suffer from mass mental illness. If the only information one receives and processes about the world outside their own direct contacts is filtered through just Faux News and the right wing bubble, such acts may seem logical to someone who's otherwise sane. What I mean is, we may have a much, much bigger problem than a few seemingly unbalanced individuals with access for serious firearms. To me, the real culprits wear suits and spout crazy shit in the halls of congress, the white house and certain 1 hour time slots on Faux News. They've also produced reams of gun porn for the last 30 years. For a large segment of our population, that is all they hear and know.

Prior to recent events, I've poo pooed the idea that the hard right base was much of a direct, physical threat. I'm beginning to reassess that view. We may have a bigger problem in that regard than I thought.

[Lonestarblue]

10. Republicans trot out the tired old mental illness excuse again and again.

These mass murderers are angry, hateful young men who have been radicalized by the hatred they hear online on sites like 8chan and on the media channels like Fox News and the Alex Jones/Rush Limbaughs of the world that their parents watch. Anyone who kills is mentally ill, but most—if not all—of mass murderers have passed a background check and purchased guns legally. Stricter background checks may help, but they are putting a bandaid on a gaping gun wound innthe stomach. The real need is to ban assault weapons and to make it a federal crime punishable by 10 years in jail to possess bullets for long guns/assault rifles. Take away the bullets and we have fewer murders, though I recognize that it will take time to get them out of circulation—but we need to start now.

[True Blue American]

14. The FBI spokesman said

They are being radicalized so quickly we can not keep up with them.

Trump campaign has posted 2000 ads about invasion on Facebook.