Home › Blogs › LettersToTheEditor
« Is an occupation winnable? | Main | All-out gun ban won’t work »
April 27, 2007
Prescription for violence
I keep hearing, "Why didn't anyone see the warning signs? How did they not know that Seung-hui Cho was capable of such violence?"
Who is responsible for it not being recognized? Not his family, friends and teachers. They saw the warning signs and tried to get help for Cho. They knew something was wrong.
It was the psychiatric profession that failed him and said he was not a threat to himself or anyone. Their "solution" was to medicate him with psychotropic drugs that carry Black Box warnings stating that they can cause violence and suicide! Well, they got exactly what they prescribed!
How many of these mass murders and suicides must families, schools and communities endure before we as a society wake up to the fact that you can't fix neurotic or psychotic behavior with a pill!
Oh yes, the psychiatric community will say, "We tried to help, he just came to us too late" or some other such excuse. But the truth is, he tried to get help for years, wasn't given it and was put on drugs without getting to the root cause of his condition.
Can't we do better than that? Aren't there lessons to be learned from these massacres? Or will what occurred at Virginia Tech be in vain?
— Bobbi Grantham, Oxnard
Comments
Actually there's quite a bit of proof that Cho was indeed on meds. The New York Times, ABC News and others have reported that prescription medication was found in Cho's room, and also in his backpack. His suite mates reported seeing him take prescription medicine. Why hasn't the name of the medication as well as the autopsy's toxicology report been released to the public?
We know what drugs were in Ana Nicole Smith's body when she died. Why isn't information about Cho's prescription drugs being released to the public? We have a right to know.
Posted by: Ben hansen at April 28, 2007 04:37 PMOne paper said he was on meds. The others carried the story and have since retracted the statement. The suitemates I have seen on tv has said they don't know. He didn't share any part of his life with them.
The info will come out, let everyone do their jobs before you jump the gun and make very unfounded claims.
What on earth does Smith have to do with this? She is dead because she took more pills than she was told to. Sorry thats her fault not the meds.
First off there is not yet on bit of proof this young man was on meds of any kind at the time of the shooting. He was put in the hospital in 2005 because doctors felt he was a danger to himself. He refused treatment after he got out.
A doctor can't help you if you don't see him.
Posted by: JeraldR at April 27, 2007 02:03 PM