Gun Violence & Mental Health

As of May 2022, 231 mass shootings have occurred in the United States, resulting in 256 deaths and 1,006 injuries (Gun Violence Archive [GVA], 2022). The increasing prevalence of mass shootings and media coverage may prompt many individuals to experience increased anxiety or fear in public settings. The recent Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas was the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012 (EducationWeek, 2022), and this year, followed by the supermarket shooting in Buffalo, New York (GVA, 2022). While many mass shootings are motivated by biases towards specific groups, some do not appear to have a clear motive. The lack of a clear motive provokes multiple questions, such as how to prevent future mass shootings and what circumstances cause an individual to engage in mass shootings? The lack of clear motives prompts the discussion regarding the cause and how to prevent this reoccurring problem. 
News media frequently blames mental illness as the only plausible cause for individuals to commit these horrific acts of violence, also they lack the evidence to support their claim (Skeem & Mulvey, 2020). This unproven claim increases the stigma against mental health and may discourage individuals from obtaining treatment. Research by Brucato et al. (2021) observed that only 8% of international mass shooters had a serious mental illness. United States mass shooters reported criminal histories, substance abuse, and difficulty coping with life stressors, highlighting the significance of providing accessible healthcare. 
Witnessing or being injured in a mass shooting is extremely traumatic and can produce long-term emotional and physical consequences for the individual. While some individuals confide in friends and family for support, however, some survivors purposely avoid discussing it with their support system in attempt to avoid burdening them (Felix et al., 2021). Although students may receive trauma-informed care immediately after a shooting and is not likely to resolve all their trauma-related symptoms. Trauma-related symptoms can interfere with the individual’s ability to function and care for themselves. Students are not provided long-term mental health care, leaving many individuals without treatment for their lingering symptoms. The American Counseling Association can provide support and has bilingual crisis counselors available 24/7 for individuals experiencing natural or human-caused disasters. Their services are available by text and phone.
When a shooting occurs, services vary, as schools tend to depend on mental health services available in the community. The two students that committed suicide that witnessed the Parkland shooting demonstrate how costly a lack of resources can be for the community. This sentiment of inadequate care has been echoed by other gun violence survivors, with less than half reporting access to support or services within the first 6 months-1 year after the trauma (Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, 2022). The Everytown Support Fund provides resources for victims and parents regarding how to talk to their children about gun violence. The resources available for victims include information about what to expect from the recovery process, discusses the significance of self-care, and how to identify symptoms of emotional and physical trauma. Their services are available by text and phone. Resources to assist survivors with financial costs include the Victim Connect Resource Center which provides information on crime victim compensation, and the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards provides information regarding each state’s compensation programs available and the procedures. 
Preventative approaches have proven to be more effective at reducing gun violence compared to reactive approaches (Kolbe, 2020). Revising the health care system so mental health services are accessible and available is beneficial, as more individuals in need of care will have access to it. The shortage of psychiatrists and mental health providers also presents a challenge regarding obtaining care. However, implementing these changes would be beneficial as fifty-six percent of mass shooters exhibited at least one warning sign before the shooting occurred (Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, 2020), and may be noticed when obtaining mental health services. Increasing the number of school counselors is important, as the ratio of school counselors to students is not nearly adequate to provide adequate care. 
Implementing educational trainings to instructors and students regarding high-risk behaviors associated with gun violence may prove as beneficial. Trainings discussing the impacts of bullying, dangers of substance abuse (Brucato et al., 2021), managing anger (Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, 2020), and diversity training would be valuable for students, as they have been linked to gun violence. Diversity training is essential to reduce discrimination and prejudice, a common driving force for perpetrating gun violence. Trainings for educators could discuss the consequences of pressuring males to conform to masculine norms, which has been linked to extreme behavior such as gun violence (Levant, 2022).

The trauma-informed practices implemented in schools to assist employees and students after a shooting have been criticized for their effectiveness (Alexander & Harris, 2020). Trauma-informed care seeks to identify and alleviate trauma while providing care that avoids re-traumatization. Providing support to the employees is just as important as providing care to the students after a trauma. A criticism of this practice is that many are facilitated by the teachers and staff, which may be re-traumatizing for the staff when presenting it to students (Alexander, 2021). Re-traumatizing the staff and teachers can exasperate their symptoms and should be taught by facilitators other than employees from the school. Additionally, trauma-related services should be available for survivors of public shootings as well, not just school shootings. Eliminating the stigma associated with mental health and the assumption that the shooter has a mental illness would be beneficial for society. Individuals would be more likely to obtain and be compliant with treatment. Extending care to not only the survivors, but their families, and the community is also essential for the healing process. 

**Contact information for the sites referenced in the article listed below:
Everytown Support Fund
https://everytownsupportfund.org/everytown-survivor-network/resources-for-victims-and-survivors-of-gun-violence/childrens-responses-to-trauma/

• Resources for talking to your children about gun violence
  
• What emotional & physical trauma symptoms look like
  
• Coping strategies
  
• Information about acute stress disorder & post traumatic stress disorder
  
• Importance of selfcare & assists with developing a plan
  

American Counseling Association
https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/mental-health-resources/gun-violence-trauma-resources
Available 24/7 for individuals experiencing distress resulting from natural of human-caused disasters.
Toll-free & multilingual

• Phone number: (800) 985-5990
  
• TTY/hearing impaired access: (800) 846-8517
  
  • By text: Text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746
    
  • Spanish speakers: Text ‘Hablanos’ to 66746
    

Victim Crime Resource Center
https://victimconnect.org/learn/types-of-crime/mass-violence/ 

• Provides information for obtaining assistance with financial costs resulting from a crime
  

National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards
https://nacvcb.org/state-information/

• Provides state-specific victims compensation programs available
  

References
Alexander, B. (2021). Public school trauma intervention for school shootings: A national survey of school leaders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15), 7727. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18157727 
Alexander, B. A., & Harris, H. (2020). Public school preparedness for school shootings: A phenomenological overview of school staff perspectives. School Mental Health, 12(3), 595–609. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09369-8 
Brucato, G., Appelbaum, P. S., Hesson, H., Shea, E. A., Dishy, G., Lee, K., … Girgis, R. R. (2021). Psychotic symptoms in mass shootings v. mass murders not involving firearms: Findings from the Columbia mass murder database. Psychological Medicine, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291721000076 
EducationWeek. (2022, May 25). School shootings this year: How many and where. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where/2022/01  
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. (2020, November 21). Twelve years of mass shootings in the United States: An Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund analysis. https://everytownresearch.org/maps/mass-shootings-in-america/#:~:text=Mass%20shootings%20result%20in%20an,not%20yet%20available%20for%202018 
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. (2022, February 3). When the shooting stops: The impact of gun violence on survivors in America. https://everytownresearch.org/report/the-impact-of-gun-violence-on-survivors-in-america/   
Felix, E. D., Moore, S. A., Meskunas, H., & Terzieva, A. (2017). Social and contextual influences on mental health following an episode of mass violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(3-4), 1544–1567. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517742915 
Gun Violence Archive. (2022, May 30). Gun violence archive 2022. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/  
    Kolbe, L. J. (2020). School gun violence in the United States. Journal of School Health, 90(3), 245-253. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12866
Levant, R. F. (2022). Extending the gender role strain paradigm to account for U.S. males’ gun violence. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 23(2), 151–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000385 
Skeem, J., & Mulvey, E. (2019). What role does serious mental illness play in mass shootings, and how should we address it? Criminology & Public Policy, 19(1), 85–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12473