School Shootings: How to solve Bullying and Violence within Schools
School shootings have become something of an epidemic in modern day America. Like the flu, they seem to arrive every season, every year, sometimes appearing in deadlier strains than seen in previous appearances. Following an outbreak, authorities scramble to find ways to effectively address the phenomenon, but, unable to identify the source of the problem, they invariably settle upon superficial or politically correct solutions that serve only to tamper down the furor and clamor of communities that rise up in protest against the ease with which it all appears to happen: child is bullied at school, child buys guns, child takes revenge with a stockpile of weapons, an AK-47 with a bump stock, an arsenal that would make a Marine blush. Yet, in spite of the nearly universal knee jerk reaction that inevitably occurs following an episode of school violence, the band-aid of banning guns will not fix the kids who are being driven to vengeance: their issues run much deeper than the black market (where guns will always be available no matter what laws Congress chooses to pass). Their issues are related to mental health—and the solution to the problem of school shootings is one that requires more than just the passing of more restrictive legislation. It is one that requires patient understanding of the facts surrounding the mental health conditions of young people in schools today. It is one that requires awareness about the fact, for instance, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are almost invariably found in the background of the child involved in the school shooting. SSRIs are prescribed medication for mental disorders: the side effects, one can surmise, can be deadly when pressure and stress build up, and recourse to help from a counselor on the scene is not available. This paper will show that the solution to school shootings is not the banning of guns but rather one that focuses on identifying and treating the mental and behavioral issues of troubled teens—one that is conducted, preferably, without the use of SSRIs.
Today’s schools are more and more resembling prisons: there are bars and gates around the windows and grounds, armed guards at the doors, metal detectors at the doorways. Every so often something goes wrong: the alarms sound, shots ring out, cameras and police and medical emergency personnel arrive on the scene. Another shooting has occurred and the calls for Congress to “do something” to make schools safer are heard around the nation. As Laura Jaffee notes, for instance, “in June 2016, Congressional Democrats held a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives in an alleged effort to...
Works Cited
Breggin, Peter R. “Suicidality, violence and mania caused by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): A review and analysis.” International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, vol. 16, no. 1 (2004): 31-49.
Jaffee, Laura Jordan. “Rethinking School Safety in the Age of Empire: Militarization, Mental Health, and State Violence.” Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 1 (2018). http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/5230/4878
Kauffman, Joel M. “Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs: More risks than benefits.” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, vol. 14, no. 1 (2009): 7-12.
Maynen, Dawn. “Jessie Klein: The Bully Society: School Shootings and the Crisis of Bullying in America’s Schools.” Journal of Youth Adolescence, vol. 42 (2013): 1630-1632.
They predict age and gender variations relate to bullying concerns. Of the 25 cartoons implemented in the study, two depict characters with different shades of skin color where skin color appeared to be an issue. One cartoon relating to sexual orientation was not used in several countries. Smith et al. report Olweus to assert bullying to be characterized by the following three criteria: 1. It is aggressive behavior or intentional
School Shootings Violence in schools is a complex problem whose causes are difficult to pinpoint. Statistics gathered on school violence do not follow the norms of society as a whole. A National Crime Victimization Survey compiled and maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, shows that overall crime rates in U.S. society have fallen. Simultaneously, school-based studies reveal that many violent behaviors have increased among children and adolescents ("Causes of
With the issues of gun control coming up in the media, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. In the meantime, it is obvious that America needs to embrace itself from future unspeakable horror. References Anthony Scioli, P. (2013, Janurary 5). Newtown, Connecticut: From Fear to Hope. Retrieved from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hope-today/201212/newtown-connecticut-fear-hope Bergland, C. (2011, April 31). Mindfulness Training and the Compassionate Brain. Retrieved from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201212/mindfulness-training-and-the-compassionate-brain Berit Brogaard,
As a result, both handguns and long guns are available in many states, with more than half of American households owning one or more firearms. This perpetual access to deadly weapons is the primary reason that completely eliminating school shootings may be impossible. Schoolyard bullying, low self-esteem, dysfunctional families and troubled teens who fantasize about lashing out violently will always be factors in the educational institution environment, despite continual efforts
As can be deduced from the examples in section one, these causative theories include the taking of drugs, as well as immature emotional responses and the influence of the media in the portrayal of images of violence that are accepted by the larger culture. Another factor is the relative accessibility of weapons. While these factors form part the main causative theories, they all tend to indicate that the root
In 2018, there were a total of 113 people who had been killed or injured in school shootings (Katsiyannis, Whitford, & Ennis, 2018). It is indicated that there have been more people who have been injured due to mass shootings in the United States in the past 18 years than those injured in the entire 20th century. This indicates that school shootings are no longer isolated occurrences but rather they
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