Hello everyone,
As details of the Virginia Tech shootings emerge, it has become apparent that the shooter was a severely disturbed young man. His English teacher--and indeed students in his English classes--realized from his writings that there was something wrong and referred him for mental health services.
In a news conference detailing some of the interventions that had been done on behalf of the young man, a reporter asked a mental health expert if it was possible to determine the difference between "normal abnormal and [really] abnormal." There was laughter at the conference, but I think it was uncomfortable laughter because that is a real question for all teachers.
How do we know when our students are really disturbed?
There is also the corresponding question: What do we do with students whom we strongly suspect are severely disturbed?
The first question is a hard one, and we are frankly not trained to make such a determination. Yet it is common that teachers are the first to notice the signs of moderate to severe mental illness. We see our students in a context that makes us peculiarly qualified to pick up on some of the potential signs. And we are certainly qualified to recognize gross aberrations from typical adolescent behavior.
Schizophrenia is said to affect as many as 1% of the population; bi-polar disorder may affect between one and two percent. These two debilitating mental illnesses may combine to affect as many as 3% of our students. (In a school population of 5000, that could range around 150 students.) Since these illnesses usually begin to show their presence in late adolescence and early young adulthood, high school teachers are in a prime position to recognize potential symptoms.
We are likely to see a much larger representation of students with more common problems such as depression, anxiety/stress disorders, and eating disorders. (I am not being comprehensive here; I'm trying to be practical.)
While we may recognize some serious problems in our students, we are not qualified to diagnose or treat them.
Let me repeat that more forcefully: Do not diagnose or attempt to treat mental illness. Leave that to mental health professionals. Be a friend, be a mentor, be a shoulder to cry on, be a teacher; don't try to be a psychiatrist. Urge your students to take their medication, but don't prescribe, and never suggest that a prescription may be unnecessary or that there should be any shame or stigma attached to treatment of a mental illness.
When we recognize potential symptoms (symptoms which, by the way, can be caused by other factors such as drug use or physical abuse), we should refer students to one of several professionals on campus that can do more extensive evaluation or treatment, and can make a referral to more long-term care.
We have several good professionals at
Don't forget that the RSP teachers--indeed all of the special ed. teachers--are especially trained to work with mild to severe cognitive and behavioral problems. If you collaborate with an RSP teacher, you have a wonderful resource in your classroom to work with potential problems in both the special ed. and general ed. populations.
A final word: Always take threats of suicide seriously. While we live in a society that often jokes and talks about violence without intending any violence, take seriously something that could be a threat, such as lists of potential victims, insistent threats, or apparent plans.
I don't mean to encourage a sudden rush of referrals to the psychologists. In more than 20 years of teaching, I have known only a half dozen students who were potential dangers to themselves or others. I have known many that were depressed, many that struggled socially, many with eating disorders, and many who self-medicated--some of whom I referred for help.
Most of the time, letting students have someone to talk to, or some place to write about their troubles, or some artistic or athletic outlet--these are sufficient to heal many wounds.
And we know how to do that.
Jeff Combe
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