I suspect he was on some type of SSRI.

To those who ask if Cho was reliving his childhood have it partially correct. It’s clear he fed off his temper and vile images produced by a deranged brain; and that’s what it’s all about…his brain. Here’s how it works. Unless the human brain is taught the emotions of love, affection, caring, etc. by a certain age when we’re babies, we lose the foundation of these feelings forever. Our brain will never have another opportunity to make us feel these emotions because it never learned in the short course of time given and cannot regain that knowledge under any circumstances. Now there’s a difference in people who suffer head trauma and have to relearn how to accomplish function again, but that’s not the case here. Cho is a clear case of vile, hateful abuse from his parents, whether biological or guardian, whoever raised him during his formative years are to blame for his behavior and actions Monday.
No one was there to formulate the all important nurturing we all need as babies…a significant time in our lives when our brains are growing, understanding, having needs met, etc. It’s like living in a vacuum, because his brain never learned it, he was never able to understand or display nurturing behaviors toward others--love, caring, concern--all the things normal parents provide us and from whom we learn these basic of human emotions. Without this discourse, the emotions of hate, anger, distrust in an idle, cold existence are the only emotions left and it’s apparent it was easy for his brain to inherit these feelings as they were bound upon him since birth by the failures of his parents.
I see the FBI has given us a glimpse into the rambling, suicide note Cho left, complaining that the rich kids on campus didn’t like him and the amount of debauchery at VT was disgusting to him. How can he blame debauchery when his writings are nothing but? He probably was sexually abused because sex seems so distasteful to him. Even in his own writings, any thought of sex is debased with pain and suffering. Having no positive emotions for other humans, Cho never came to terms with his own sexuality because he’d never been able to be with a loving partner. Whether straight or gay, without the emotion he couldn’t bring himself to enter into any kind of commitment with another human. He was jealous of what he saw every day on campus because he knew he’d never have it and the normalcy of it all fed his rage for years until he blew two days ago.
Whoever raised this kid must be held accountable. Whether he was physically and sexually abused or only emotionally abused, depraved indifference is against the law. By intentionally maintaining a void in Cho’s life whereby he was never given the hope of leading a productive existence, they are the ones who pulled the trigger as sure as he, which killed so many this week.

I think its a miracle this(shooting) doesn't happen more often, with all the f'ed up people in the world. People are talking of wanting to stop this from happening again. With the number of guns in USA being so many, anyone can get a gun. The Virginia Tech school is too large to put metal detectors everywhere.The only way you could possible prevent it is if you lock up everyone who looks like he/she is violent, which is costly and against civil liberties.Otherwise give everyone a gun?

Right. I'd like to understand more about how this perspective is "going out on a limb".

Your first post today threw me with the reductive focus on meds and diagnosis, now you're talking about lived experience, phenomenology, existentialism, whatever you call it, we're seeing more of the person, the sentinent being, who acted with deliberation. So this is going out on a limb, huh, no wonder I'm fighting all day with people.

This probably happens to you a zillion times/month; but we had to do it....because it's true, you do make us think! Thinking Blogger Award
~d

Where were this guys parents, huh??? Nothing is said about whether his parents were notified about his mental problems. What's with that..do they not speak english or what? Also, with the advent of computer communication, I don't think that someone with a history of mental problems and tendency to be a danger to themselves should have the ability to buy a gun. Maybe an alert of some kind that goes out to all establishments that sell guns in that persons area could have saved some people. Even a national alert system, a website that listed police cautions. I know, I know....invasion of privacy, but it's not guns who kill people etc.

This young man was an implosion in the name of mental illness.

This is not a case about love lost, or stalking. I think it is a going to play out as one of the most talked about mental illness cases in history.

I am not casting judgement here, or predisposed ideation that he was mentally ill due to his shooting rampage.

Based on the fact that he was coherent enough to create documentation; stop the killing, go to the post office; and resume the killing, in my opinion, this was cold blooded murder, with intent to kill, and pathological in nature, not to be compared to the "typical" person with mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
I do not look forward to the association that millions will now face; due to a bland and inaccurate portrayal of mental illness as a result of media hype.

I expect journalists with any background of mental illness, such as Dawdy, Spikol and others to rise to this occasion and speak up--loudly to beat down what is surely on its way:

Mental health stigma out of control; don't let TAC get hold of this.

Thanks.

Jazzbabe, I don't know that having his name in a database would have prevented the mass murder at VT. It might have postponed it, but I don't think it would have prevented it. Look at most of the school shootings, they didn't buy their guns at a gun shop. They stole them, got them from relatives or friends, etc. If someone in the U.S. wants a gun, they can find a way to get one.

Re: where were the parents and being informed? once a person is 18 in the USA they are considered legal adults and privacy laws prevent any health worker from speaking about a legal adult age child to a parent or anyone else.
When one of my kids was in a health crisis at college and wanted me to talk with her doctor, she had to sign a consent form first, even though it was her request.
If I had wanted to talk to her doc or therapist they would have told me nothing.
As far as guns go--Lisa is right on that one. Remember the teen in Oregon who shot his parents? then went to school with I believe his Grandparents gun.