People Who “Go Postal”
Spree killing accounts for less than 1% of homicides in America, but when it occurs it always garners more than its share of media attention. Who are these killers, and why do they kill?
Demographically, those who kill in the context of domestic disputes, gang warfare, armed robbery, or even serial killing are different from those who commit mass murder. Spree killers are typically male and are more likely to be Caucasian, older, and better-educated than other murderers. Also, they do not usually try to escape after the act, but instead either take their own lives or expect that police will do it for them. Many are ex-military, and many are unemployed. Around half may have serious mental health problems. They may suffer from a variety of conditions including psychosis, depression, or substance abuse problems. They may have been abused as children. The most common psychiatric diagnoses are typically personality disorders, especially narcissistic personality disorder.
What is interesting is that people usually think of such killers as simply “snapping” and “losing it.” In psychiatry, we refer to such a scenario as impulsive violence. In reality, though, it appears that many spree killers plan their mass violence well in advance. It is anything but impulsive. Many reveal their homicidal fantasies to others on multiple occasions before they act.
So, why do they do it? That’s the question that nobody seems to be able to definitively answer. I think society wants to know the answer, though, for two reasons. First, from a practical standpoint, if we know why some people commit such atrocities, then maybe we can prevent them from happening in the future. Second, human beings try to make sense out of an unpredictable world. It simply bothers us when we cannot rationally understand why things happen. Most would agree that all killing is undesirable. But, it is easier to understand at least some grain of rationale behind killing that occurs when one person seeks revenge on another or when someone addicted to crack kills to obtain more drug money. Violence and certainly killing are not justified in any such circumstances, but at least there is some reason that the violence occurs. However, when considering those who kill many seemingly random people all at once, our rational minds are simply at a loss for understanding.
I do not consider myself an expert in the field of spree killers. However, over the years, I have worked with many incarcerated murderers. Most have killed one or two people, and only a handful have killed several. I have worked with many more patients, though, who have had fantasies of mass murdering. Some have even used the term “going postal” to describe what they’ve considered doing. Not surprisingly, I have not had any admit that they were actively planning a mass killing. (Most prison inmates are simply smart enough not to admit such a plan to a prison psychiatrist.) I always find these reports disturbing, and it is invariably difficult to determine how serious the threat might be. Fortunately, in many cases the fantasizing inmates still have many more years of prison time remaining.
I believe that nobody can definitively predict who is going to go on a mass killing rampage. We can assess risk to some degree, but we cannot definitively predict who will do it and when. I believe that there are many different combinations of clinical features and life events that can result in mass killing. It is simply the “perfect storm” combination that results in the disgruntled person acting on his thoughts.
Since we cannot predict who will engage in spree killing, all of us need to be on the outlook for warning signs in others.
The general public can help by paying attention to the behavior of coworkers, friends and family. Since most spree killers talk about what they are going to do to others before they act, anyone who talks about killing people should be taken seriously. Having the courage to encourage someone to get professional help when they see someone struggling could potentially save many lives.
Likewise, medical and mental health professionals need to take all homicidal statements seriously, even if the patient simply seems to be “venting.”
Other warning signs professionals should look for:
- chronically disgruntled demeanor and/or suffering from a personality disorder (Think: “The world’s the problem, not me!”)
- recent losses (especially job or relationship)
- socially isolated
- history of being abused, victimized, or bullied
Putting extra effort into developing a therapeutic relationship with the person and attempting to engage them in treatment is crucial! While in retrospect many mass killers may have appeared untreatable or not interested in treatment, I believe that many may be treatable, and the stakes are too high for us not to do whatever we can to try to help.
Inside a Mass Murderer’s Mind–TIME
They Threaten, Seethe and Unhinge, Then Kill in Quantity–NY Times
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