Mass Shootings and the News Media: What Can Psychiatrists Do?

• Published in: Academic psychiatry Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 442 - 446
• Main Authors: Majeed, Muhammad Hassan, Sudak, Donna M., Beresin, Eugene
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.08.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescents; Column: Media; Drug use; Exposure to Violence - psychology; Firearms; Gangs; Humans; Mass Casualty Incidents - statistics & numerical data; Mass Media; Mass murders; Massacres; Media coverage; Medical Education; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mentally Ill Persons - psychology; News media; Psychiatrists; Psychiatry; Social networks; Suicides & suicide attempts; Teenagers; Violent crime; Weapons; Wounds, Gunshot - mortality; United States > US
• ISSN: 1042-9670; 1545-7230
• DOI: 10.1007/s40596-019-01066-2

Homicides account for the next largest number leading the causes of death among African American males ages 18 to 34; in 2016, 5424 African American men were homicide victims [3]. [...]over half of the total mass shootings occur in domestic disputes and are a variant of family violence [1]. Violence towards others (55%) and towards self (47%) are the most common reasons for mental illness to be discussed by the media. [...]stories are more likely to appear on the front page of newspapers [5]. [...]individuals with mental illness may not obtain mental healthcare because of individual choice or lack of access. According to one report, 33 states had never submitted records about substance use and four states never submitted any mental health records to NICS [14].