PREVENT VIOLENCE BY HELPING THOSE AT
RISK
Friday, June 08, 2007
BY JOHN MONAHAN
»
Link to the Trenton Times Editorials
We all experienced shock and horror this past April, as
we learned how a socially isolated 23-year-old at Virginia
Tech orchestrated the murder of 32 people. Many have attributed
this violence to untreated mental illness in the perpetrator,
Seung-Hui Cho.
The truth is we really do not know what caused the violence.
We do know that serious mental illness in itself does not
lead to violence. In instances where violence does occur,
past victimization is usually present. The biochemistry
of trauma, rather than serious mental illness, probably
holds the key to understanding why some become violent.
Those who have been repeatedly abused at home and on the
street wind up with a biochemistry that is chronically stressed
with neurochemicals that predispose them to see danger even
when none is present. Because their perspective is distorted
by an overstressed biochemistry, they do not regard violent
behavior as an anti- social act but rather as a self- protective,
adaptive reaction to a threatening environment.
When someone's biochemistry is overcharged by trauma, he
or she is prone to overreact to the slightest provocation.
Arguments over who was disrespectful to whom on the street,
or who should take out the garbage, or even whether homework
was completed, can all result in violent confrontations.
Although serious mental illness may play a lesser role
than past trauma in violent behavior, someone with both
serious mental illness and past trauma may be at even higher
risk. If one adds the use of drugs and alcohol for self-
medication, another volatile component is present, creating
still greater risk. Unfortunately, those at highest risk
of violence often re fuse mental health treatment, as did
Cho, and without such treatment the risk of their becoming
violent increases even further.
Partially to address this problem, acting Gov. Richard
Codey's Task Force on Mental Health proposed a $40 million
expansion of emergency response and related services and
a $200 million Housing Trust Fund. These recommendations
have all been implemented, and Gov. Jon Corzine has continued
and expanded them. A companion recommendation, however,
has not been implemented: The task force also recommended
passage into law of court-ordered outpatient treatment,
which would re quire community treatment and supervision
of persons with serious mental illness at high risk of violent
behavior.
Although bill S-1093 authorizing court-ordered outpatient
treatment was unanimously passed by the state Senate in
June 2006, it carries some controversy. Some are concerned
that it may be too broadly applied to persons with mental
illness who pose no violent threat. Theirs is a legitimate
concern, but it is balanced by the concern of others, who
maintain that appropriate safeguards can be applied and
that such monitoring is required.
Both sides of the issue have a right to be heard. The Assembly
bill (A-2304) sponsored by Assemblyman John McKeon was referred
to the Assembly Human Services Committee, chaired by Assemblyman
Joseph Cryan. But no action has been taken since the commit
tee received the bill in June 2006. The Human Services Committee
should conduct hearings as soon as possible to give everyone
a voice on the issue, and then decide what to do in light
of what is learned.
Whether Cho's overcharged biochemistry was due to trauma
or other factors, we may never know. We do know that the
inner chaos his video revealed spilled over into the school
community and has consumed it ever since.
We also know that it is far wiser to take pro-active steps
to engage this chaos before it takes over. This is what
the Trenton Public Schools are doing. They have spent the
past year, with support from Greater Trenton Behavioral
HealthCare, updating school crisis plans, assessing safety
risks in every school building, developing crisis prevention
teams in every school, and rehearsing in monthly practice
drills different crisis scenarios to ensure their capacity
to respond effectively. They have also assembled a district
crisis team comprised of key personnel to oversee the implementation
process.
The district crisis team is also developing plans with
each school crisis team to implement a violence prevention
and threat management program. The program will monitor
the emotional climate in each school for early warning signs
of trouble and link high- risk stu dents with a responsible
adult to look out for them. If someone had reached out to
Cho much sooner and consistently before his distress had
become explosive, perhaps there might have been a different
outcome.
Every day, the teachers, guidance counselors, security
officers, etc., who make up these crisis teams, engage and
dissipate the chaos that wound up consuming Cho and Virginia
Tech. They defuse tensions and buffer students from community
turmoil before it can cause school violence.
The crisis teams are helping schools become much safer
havens from community violence. As the saying goes, "They
are lighting candles rather than complaining about the darkness."
They are not alone. They are joined by some 200 volunteers
in the CHANGE Coalition, who are also working to make Trenton's
schools safe for learning, among other improvements. Why
not light a candle and join the CHANGE Coalition? Interested
people can contact the mayor's office at (609) 989-3828
for more information.
John Monahan, LCSW, is president and CEO of Greater
Trenton Behavioral HealthCare. He co-chaired the Criminal
Justice Committee of the Governor's Task Force on Mental
Health. He has been helping Trenton Public Schools develop
and implement school crisis planning and works on the CHANGE
Coalition's Safety and Security Committee.
