Guns and Depression

There has been more school shootings this year. The worst tragedy was in Germany where 15 people were shot. Once again guns were blamed for the horrible loss of young lives. In Whitethorn and Bull Creek almost everyone had guns. But I never heard of anyone being shot either by intention or accident. In that gun culture, young and old were taught gun safety. All guns were considered loaded and it was almost a capital offense if someone carelessly pointed the gun at another person. ( I still get upset watching movies where the hero waves his guns around.)

I am not against gun control but what seems to be overlooked again and again is the emotional state of the killer who is almost always depressed. Yet the knee jerk reaction is always gun control and the real killer, depression, is not even considered. People need to get that DEPRESSION KILLS or these tragedies will continue. People should also take note that the slaughter frequently happens around March or April. The reason for this has been thought to be related to the amount of sun a person gets providing Serotonin, a chemical that functions as mood control. The lack of sun in the winter can cause depression in some individuals. Someone who is deeply depressed is often confined to bed unable to function on a daily basis or make decisions. When the season changes in the spring the depressed individual is more likely to act out. Although the depression is still there, the surge of Serotonin can provide just enough energy to carry out a deadly rampage.

In 1998 Suicide was the 8th leading cause of death in the United States. 31,000 suicides occurred which was 50% higher than the homicide rate. Unfortunately, depression still remains a taboo subject and a high percentage of people who are depressed do not get adequate treatment.

Copyright 2009 Sharon Porter Moxley