Research Paper On Domestic Violence

Words: 415
Pages: 2

Emeka Odukwu
Mrs. Patterson
Honors English

On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys killed twelve students, and one faculty member, and then proceeded to commit suicide at the high school they attended. At the time, this event would be recognized as the largest mass shooting in American History. The media portrayed the perpetrators as a horrible, sick people after they committed this atrocious crime. However, a closer look behind the reasons that drove them to such violence shows that a psychiatrist may have even diagnosed them with a mental illness. In America today, mental illness as it relates to violence and crime is highly debated amongst many on whether it plays a role in the crime itself. Even though many horrific violent crimes occur because the assailant is projected as simply a bad person, often times, these crimes happen because the aggressor suffers from a mental illness, very often undiagnosed.
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In the instance of the Columbine shooting, one of the assailants Dylan Klebold, dealt with ongoing depression and had numerous suicidal thoughts. In his private journal, he described how he was cutting himself, thus, showing he had a desire to end his life (Heisler). Klebold refused to seek help due to his self-reliant attitude, feeling like he could deal with his problems himself (Heisler). When someone is in a suicidal state, their thinking becomes impaired; “they lose access to their self governance skills” (Heisler). Due to Klebold's disoriented perspective, this made him especially vulnerable to his peer Eric Harris who would greatly influence him. Harris embodied the characteristics of a psychopath. He transferred his violent fantasies and strong distaste for others from his mind into various writings and drawings (Eric