[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

This is so brutal.

I'm not usually one to care but the ongoing useless little debates in this thread appear more insensitive than normal given the circumstances. I'm not even sure why, maybe because this tragedy is so close to home, but every time I see people saying anything other than condolences or updates as to the investigation or incident, etc., my first reaction is being annoyed and then I think stfu.

Yeah this is a message board but sometimes there is a time for debate club and in this instance to get right into the merits of this or that seems pretty disrespectful especially so soon. Again I'm not even totally sure why. This is such a horrible, terrible event. I can't even imagine how frightening it would have been to witness this.

Agreed. There's a really good debate to be had, imo. Hopefully if the mods are reading this, we could start with these next two really well thought out posts being split into it's own thread, and keep this one for what it should be.

Originally Posted by Yamer

The thing about mental illness is that it is so incredibly multifaceted and diverse. Sufferers can be completely functional, and it isn't always easy to discern the signs. I know people who have revealed to me their lifelong struggle with recognized symptoms without letting on to others in their inner circle.

Even if the "most serial killers are loners" claim is unsubstantiated, it's hard to classify this case within that category. Obviously far more information is needed to interpret these specific events, but personally I don't think an event such as this, carried out by an individual in these circumstances, can be attributed to serial killer profiling.

His actions ascribe to a certain level of abnormality, as norms dictate that not just anyone goes about brutally stabbing 5 other individuals to death. In that sense, there is an element of "mental" illness at work here, or at least a deviation from what is considered "normal". This isn't to dismiss his actions as simply a product of a damaged mind or larger system as I believe there really isn't an excuse for this kind of behavior. However, there are reasons that can be used to understand what has happened and formulate an appropriate and resounding response.

Strange to think that 6 other individuals who were on the same journey as I will never see the ultimate destination.

Originally Posted by Kelekin

I don't disagree with you, but you also are just an observer like anyone else here and what you believe as fact is only fact for you.

Mental problems? yes. But for how long? How frequent? It really blows my mind that we have such stigmas towards mental illness still. I know counselling was one of the best things I ever did. Most people I know believe in going every couple years just for a check-up. Why would mental health not be as important as physical health? He could've had many things festering, but seemed fine most of the time, and then all that emotion came out at once.

I won't pretend to know, and we may never get answers, but stigmas towards mental health and writing people off as "crazy" or "insane" because people either A) are afraid to get help or B) don't really know how to get help is definitely not a solution. It's just a way to write someone off as an aberration.