Depression and violent behavior: Where the lines overlap

On July 16, in my hometown, Chattanooga, Tennessee, there was a mass shooting in which the gunman killed 5 marines and wounded a few other marines as well as a local police officer. Not much was known about the man behind the shooting other than the fact that he was from Kuwait and Muslim. Because of his faith and unknown background, the likelihood of his ties to the terrorist organization ISIS or Al Qaeda seemed to be very high, a problematic racial profiling and religious stereotype that is not true of all adherents of the Islamic faith. However, recent news reports are saying that the gunman actually suffered from depression and drug use; that his violent behavior was triggered by mental illness, not mass jihad. As I read this, I personally thought that it was both offensive and unfair to the nonviolent mentally ill people as well as Muslims, and I still think this. However, this situation has taught me that I still have a lot to learn about depression, something that I suffer from as well. At the end of this article is a couple of news sources about the shooting if any of the readers are interested.

When I was going through the prewriting process, I decided that a quick summary of the disease major depressive disorder was appropriate. My professor in college, Dr. Rose, called depression the common cold of mental illness because its so common. Its commonality doesnt take away the pain and suffering from the people who live with it every day, but if youre reading this and suffer from some form of depression, just know that you are not alone, and you are not a freak. Dont ever listen to those words.

Then theres the difference between the sexes and the pressures and stereotypes placed upon them by society if they do not fall into the norm. While for depression sufferers such as myself, there isnt as much shame for us when we cry and express our feelings. But for men, the norm has always been a stiff upper lip (and were American, not British. Go figure.) means no crying or any sort of acknowledgement of ones feelings. Because of this, men display other behavioral issues with depression because showing their emotions is a big societal no-no. The Mayo Clinic explains that depression in men is masked by unhealthy coping behavior and is underdiagnosed, showing that males feel shame for their depression and lists a number of different and destructive coping strategies found typical for depressed males, such as substance use, escapist behavior, risky behavior, and inappropriate anger (Mayo Clinic, 2015).

Risky behavior is a cry for help. When youre depressed, its hard to reach out and ask for help. Were told that were supposed to have it all together at all times, but that mindset is both unhealthy and false.

For me, I get really sad and hold in my feelings, telling myself that theyre not real or important, but when Im at my lowest, I hate myself—making the cycle of depression that much more difficult to break—because when you tell yourself that you deserve to suffer because youre an awful person, theres not much that can be done until you realize that this negative self-talk is both toxic and unhelpful to recovery. Directing your negative feelings outward isnt helpful either. Hurting others doesnt make you feel any better about yourself and it pushes loved ones away, making the depression cycle hard to overcome as well. Before the Chattanooga shooting, I thought that this was how all depression sufferers felt, but I was wrong. Gender, sexuality, religion—all facets of life play a part in ones depression story. Gender and societal expectations are an annoying and inflammatory part of daily life, but aggravate depression very much.

Like gender, depression also has its stereotypical behavior, but the truth is that depression symptoms vary from person to person. Its not a one size fits all. Screw societal norms. Some men feel low. Some cry with depression. And thats okay.What someone says is depression may not be the same for another. So even if someone doesnt feel low and sleep a lot, they can still be suffering on the inside. Symptoms of depression include upset stomach, aches and pains in the joints, loss of appetite (or increase), irritability, and hypersomnia (sleeping too much) or insomnia (not sleeping enough). But for some, violent thoughts and behaviors accompany the symptoms listed above.

Alcohol is a depressant and makes your mood even lower than it was before consumption.

A Swedish study by professor Seena Fazel, MD and her colleagues (2015) found that roughly 0.5% of female depression patients and 3.7% of male patients went on to commit violent crimes after their diagnosis (Fazel et alt. 2015). These are very small numbers, but are still important in the study of violence and depression. For some, its hard to understand how someone who hurts so much could hurt other people, but it still happens. People diagnosed with depression are roughly three times more likely than the general population to commit violent crimes such as robbery, sexual offences, and assault according to Mark Tran (2015), staff writer for the online news magazine, The Guardian. Perhaps because of maladaptive coping mechanisms, the product of not learning how to deal with ones emotions in a positive and healthy way, or harming others in order to feel something, it would seem as though this small percentage of depressed people may have another illness comorbid with depression. Those are just my thoughts on the subject. Whatever the case, its important to recognize that violent thoughts are in some cases, common with depression, but acting on them is not okay. Whats also important to recognize is that harming yourself or others does not, in the end, bring the relief that you think its going to. It just causes more pain. If not for you, then for others in your life.

While this is a problem that the Chattanooga shooter may have had, it is no excuse for his actions. Not one person he shot deserved to feel the outpour of his personal hell. If he truly was depressed, he didnt deserve it either. Depression hurts. A whole lot more than youd think.

If you or someone you know is suffering from depression and feeling suicidal, please call this lifeline. You are so important and lovely. Please hang in there: 1-800-273-8255

For more information on depression and how it looks differently in the sexes:

Depression (major depressive disorder). (n.d.). Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/male-depression/art-20046216

The links to the Guardian article and the Swedish study:

Fazel, S., Wolf, A., Chang, Z., Larsson, H., Goodwin, G., & Lichtenstein, P. (2015, March 1). Depression and violence: A Swedish population study. Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)00128-X/abstract

Tran, M. (2015, February 25). Diagnosed depression linked to violent crime, says Oxford University study. Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/25/diagnosed-depression-linked-to-violent-says-university-oxford-study-sweden

Chattanooga shooting links:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/29580829/shooters-family-says-he-suffered-from-depression

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/29593467/chattanooga-shooter-was-possibly-troubled-motive-a-mystery

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