(Apr. 16, 2015) Today marks the eight-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting massacre that left thirty-two students and faculty members dead at the hands of a gunman with untreated severe mental illness (“Lessons learned at Virginia Tech: Why risks remain," WVTF, Apr. 16).
A number of events are planned to take place on the Virginia Tech campus and surrounding Blacksburg today to honor the victims of what remains the deadliest shooting rampage in US history.
Tim Davis, director of UVA’s counseling & psychological services, points out that while only a small number of individuals with mental illness commit acts of violence, the number of students battling serious psychiatric problems at college is growing.
"They do come onto grounds, sometimes with established mental health diagnoses, serious diagnoses, whether it’s bi-polar or history of suicide attempts or disabling anxiety, and when they come they seek mental health support in large quantities," Davis said.
The Treatment Advocacy Center continues to mourn these and all of the preventable tragedies that untreated severe mental illness produces.
We can report that some change has come – not just in Virginia but in other states where families and individuals struggle daily with the disabling effects of untreated mental illnesses. California has reached a tipping point for assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) and Governor Martin O’Malley has signed two bills that would increase access to treatment in Maryland – just to name a few.
On an anniversary such as this one, we all pause to remember the lives that were lost unnecessarily on April 16, 2007.
The fight goes on to eliminate barriers to treatment for severe mental illness. To find out how you can help, click on Get Involved.
To comment, visit our Facebook page.
A number of events are planned to take place on the Virginia Tech campus and surrounding Blacksburg today to honor the victims of what remains the deadliest shooting rampage in US history.Tim Davis, director of UVA’s counseling & psychological services, points out that while only a small number of individuals with mental illness commit acts of violence, the number of students battling serious psychiatric problems at college is growing.
"They do come onto grounds, sometimes with established mental health diagnoses, serious diagnoses, whether it’s bi-polar or history of suicide attempts or disabling anxiety, and when they come they seek mental health support in large quantities," Davis said.
The Treatment Advocacy Center continues to mourn these and all of the preventable tragedies that untreated severe mental illness produces.
We can report that some change has come – not just in Virginia but in other states where families and individuals struggle daily with the disabling effects of untreated mental illnesses. California has reached a tipping point for assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) and Governor Martin O’Malley has signed two bills that would increase access to treatment in Maryland – just to name a few.
On an anniversary such as this one, we all pause to remember the lives that were lost unnecessarily on April 16, 2007.
The fight goes on to eliminate barriers to treatment for severe mental illness. To find out how you can help, click on Get Involved.
To comment, visit our Facebook page.