As a child psychiatrist, Howard Liu, M.D., is sometimes asked if there are any signs to point to a potential shooting or shooter.
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Howard Liu, M.D. |
The question is now in the national spotlight after Friday’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Dr. Liu addressed this issue and others related to the lack of mental health care for children in this story, which was picked up by several national media outlets this week.
“This kind of violence is rare. It’s not any kid who’s depressed. It’s not any kid who’s a bully. It’s certainly not any kid who has autism, or Asperger’s, who is aggressive, who is going to do these kinds of things,” Dr. Liu said. “I see it as a very sad form of public suicide.”
Spotting violence-prone children is particularly difficult, Dr. Liu said, because often they are not in treatment and are socially isolated, so they don’t have a lot of connectivity to teachers, coaches or counselors of any kind.
“It’s that very rare combination,” he said.