The recent shootout in Aurora, Colorado during the
premier of the film The Dark Knight was simply surreal. A man shoved gas in the
throng of moviegoers and right away fired at them several rounds of bullets
which left 12 dead, 58 injured and the whole world shocked.
As the investigation wind down, more information came out
revealing that the accused gunman, James Eagan Holmes, was actually a
neuroscience student at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The event, the perpetrator of mass murder seems lifted
off the books---comic book, at that! As he was brought for arraignment, a
pathetic sight is for all to see. Holmes was in a blank stupefied stare with a
disheveled crop of hair dyed in flaming orange-red. He was at times mumbling to
himself and simply wearing a flat affect most of the time.
He seems to be an incarnation of the Joker, the Riddler
and Batman himself. All of who are psychopaths in their own right.
Court reports further revealed that Holmes was in the
verge of dropping out of the neuroscience program and was actually under the
care of the school’s student mental health services (what we call Guidance and
Evaluation Center, around here) director, Dr. Lynne Fenton.
He reportedly sent a package to Dr. Fenton with
unconfirmed contents. This was promptly taken by the investigators after the
violent incident.
I cannot help but recall one of my classmate during
medical school. She almost had every tell-tale sign of having psychotic
disorder. She walked stiff like a robot (ala Robocop) wearing flat affect all
the time, barely speaks (hardly audible when she does) and turns corners at
right angles.
Though she was not violent, some red flags should have
been raised when the screening of medical students came through. A psychiatrist
who apparently breached the privacy and confidentiality agreement between
clients and counselors told me that her drawings (used in evaluating the mental
status of various personalities) were rife with eccentric sketches.
For prevention of violence, certain red flags should be
noted. Those who threaten acts of
violence or have identified targets are siren calls. They are meant to be
involuntarily admitted to mental hospitals or other centers catering to mental
health issues.
But not all cases are black and white. There are a lot of
gray areas. In such cases, the burden is on the counselor or psychiatrist to
make a judgment call whether to confine, institutionalize or not.
In the case of Holmes, the psychiatrist handling his case
need not be accused of failing to notify authorities concerning the threat
posed by the accused. The defense of insanity can be refuted considering that
Holmes plotted the event for some time. He amassed high-powered guns for
months, booby-trapped his apartment, loaded his car with fire-power, parked it
near the theater exit, and even told the police officers that he is “the
Joker”. Calculated, premeditated actions seems to be in place.
Preventing similar events in the country ideally should
be done. But considering that event a medical school in the US and even in the
Philippines cannot pinpoint which of their student are in line to follow suit
what Holmes and other students who opened fire on campus grounds, we just have
to pray that we are somewhere else.
