What should be the impact of the Newtown massacre on American psychiatry?

Again, one fact upon which all psychiatrists agree is that most seriously mentally ill patients are neither dangerous nor violent. But as I said above, generally, we can’t predict which ones will do something violent. We do know that patients with serious mental illness who are using alcohol and are provoked are more likely to act out in violent ways. If people know that a classmate or work colleague tends to act a bit strange, they don’t befriend or help him. Instead, they tend to isolate the person and avoid him, which further exacerbates his sense of isolation, paranoia, and anger.

It is imperative that we advocate for more psychiatric services. We need to train more psychiatrists. Our common goal must be to develop a true mental health system that works on behalf of patients with mental illness and their families.

Dr. Fink is a consultant and psychiatrist in Philadelphia and professor of psychiatry at Temple University. He can be reached at cpnews@frontlinemedcom.com.