Armchair Psych Profile and JH's Background

[jjenny]

While I don't always agree with Ablow, and find talking heads, in general, to be irresponsible blow-hards, I do think he's made some valid points.

He has nothing concrete to support these points. It's all speculation, basically.

 

[Donyale]

I always change my bday by a few days or a month on random forms... identity theft is real.

good point! maybe that's the reason he wrote a slightly different birthdate... I didn't think about it. Thanks

 

[Billiam]

Did no one ever notice his eyes fluttering that much before the crime? Seems like someone would've noticed.

I tried to look up reasons for eye fluttering. Epilepsy and certain drugs related to epilepsy came up.

Yes, I wish I had the link, but I read that before the crime he asked them about apartment vacancies. All the while his eyes were fluttering.

 

[shadowraiths]

He has nothing concrete to support these points. It's all speculation, basically.

Yup. Speculation based upon years of experience treating the mentally ill would fall under the anecdotal != data rubric. Otherwise put, I agree that his commentary is based upon an, as of yet, unproven premise. Still does not invalidate the points made within the context of said premise.

 

[Padua]

bear with me: 2 mass shooters here in my country were extremely organized, one went to medical school and planed his shooting 7 years ahead (he dreamt about it and the idea grew stronger everyday until the day he couldn't bear the urge anymore and had to commit the crime). He did lot of serious planning yet the guy was on and off antipsychotics, later was diagnosed schizophrenic. The other mass shooter went to college, had a nice job and would go to work everyday, he was never ever late, very organized and serious, yet he planned an uncredible mass shooting, he left a manifesto, youtube videos, even a letter of how he wanted to be buried, he learned how to shoot and got weapons illegally in the black market, he fooled everyone, family friends, doctors, co-workers. Aftermath: he killed 12 innocent kids but his revenge was because in his mind he was killing the children that bullied him in the past when he was at school, the psychiatrist said after reading his letters with his motives that probably when this killer entered the school and fired at random kids, he didn't see innocent strangers, he just saw his bullies and his mind they deserved to die. His biological mother was schizophrenic, but he was adopted and didn't know about his real mom. Both shooters were 24 years old, both schizophrenics on and off medication, both intelligent and pretty damn organized, normal families, middle and upper class, we have security guards with bullet proof vests and weapons almost everywhere we go, from schools to shopping malls, yet nobody could stop and avoid those shootings, they were going to psychiatrist, on and off meds, yet nothing could be done. Those things are hard to predict.

Premeditation, being organized, self controled IMHO does not rule out schizophrenia. Delusions can be long-term, some schizophrenics might think "I'm Elvis today", while some might believe they are Elvis for months or years at a time. I'm not excusing what JH did by any means, just pointing out that consistent planning actions would make sense if he believed himself to be the Joker.

Mind you, I'm not saying he is schizophrenic, I know nobody want to consider this possibility also I don't have the expertise to diagnose him (I need to make this disclaimer, before someone here shoot me and nag about what media says that there is no proof the guy is mentally ill, yadayada, yes I know that) I just want to point out that things aren't black and white, being organized and self controlled doesn't mean much sometimes,2 mass shooters in my country were schizophrenics, both were very good at hiding things. This is why I wouldn't be so sure to say that he is not schizophrenic just because the guy, studied neuroscience, planned so carefully, was highly organized and performed the tasks of his everyday living. You can be a lunatic and still fool everyone for a while until something horrific happens that will make people notice that something is wrong.

If you notice my posts I use terms such as "may", "typically," etc. Not every person fits each criteria perfectly. When discussing schizophrenia and other psychopathologies I never say something is exact. Psychology is not an exact science.

 

[Padua]

With the limited information we have on Holmes, everything in the DSM is up for debate! Where should we start? I'll start. We can 100000000% rule out agoraphobia!

 

[Padua]

does the level of knowledge or education really matter in this case? I thought that an educated man or an uneducated man could be able to conceal very well threatning and dangerous or self destructive plans from his shrink, specially when they are psychotic, paranoid, delusional, schizophrenic, suicidal, drug addicts, anorexics, bulimics etc, no? when they have that solid idea in their minds, they don't want people to ruin their plans, they know the consequences, sometimes their own obssessive thoughts / paranoia/ voices in their heads, even warn before hand, that if they tell, it will screw their plan and it has a price, they gonna pay... so why would they tell to their doctors? sometimes they do, sometimes don't, I don't think it is a matter of being educated or not. JMHO

Of course, I'm not saying JH is any of those things I wrote above (yep I need to put this warning before someone here jump on my post to say that nothing in the press state that he was suffering from some mental problem, I know that, relax, lol).

Let me clarify my reference to education. He was educated by psychiatrists. He studied psychopathology. I'm sure at some point in his educational career there was mention of duty to warn when working with patients.

 

[Curious Me]

I read what everyone has to say and take it into consideration, but . . .

As I look back on how media reported JH and his crimes, I feel manipulated into thinking right from the start that this man "just snapped". All I heard, at first, was how this brilliant student lost his mind with no one noticing. Then, I heard a bunch of experts searching for mental illnesses to explain his actions, as though being intelligent and hiding his evil plans must mean mental illness. Enough, it's almost like brainwashing - I don't want to accept the diagnosis of the media and their power to sway me to either pity or anger in certain cases - just give me the real, validated facts, media.

JMO, just because you know someone with mental illness, or read something about certain conditions, doesn't make it so in this case. Just because his eyes look funny doesn't prove anything either. Just because you are an expert on the subject of mental illness doesn't mean much until facts are brought out. Obviously, he didn't "just snap" because the planning was ongoing for months and months. Plain ole criminals are sometimes really smart and sneaky too.

I think we might all agree, we want to know more about what lead JH to do such horrible things that would destroy other people, but we really can't fully understand it until more info comes out. This is my opinion only.

 

[shadowraiths]

If you notice my posts I use terms such as "may", "typically," etc. Not every person fits each criteria perfectly. When discussing schizophrenia and other psychopathologies I never say something is exact.

You sure about that?

If he wasn't diagnosed with Antisocial PD, he will be now.

Seems like a pretty definitive statement, to me.

Let me clarify my reference to education. He was educated by psychiatrists. He studied psychopathology. I'm sure at some point in his educational career there was mention of duty to warn when working with patients.

He was studying neuroscience, among which some of his course work included the study of psychopathology. Duty to warn is covered in ethics courses as well as courses involving psychology and the law. Whether or not he took any of those type courses (or not) is, at this point, unknown. Regardless, if anything, I proffer his education, at best, gives him enough information to "fake mental illness." Whether he actually is (is not), will be borne out in the legal process.

 

[Padua]

You sure about that?

Seems like a pretty definitive statement, to me.

He was studying neuroscience, among which some of his course work included the study of psychopathology. Duty to warn is covered in ethics courses as well as courses involving psychology and the law. Whether or not he took any of those type courses (or not) is, at this point, unknown. Regardless, if anything, I proffer his education, at best, gives him enough information to "fake mental illness." Whether he actually is (is not), will be borne out in the legal process.

I'm very flattered you hang on to my every post and respond to every one!

 

[21merc7]

How James Holmes will be evaluated by psychiatrists

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/07/24/how-james-holmes-will-be-evaluated-by-psychiatrists/

 

[shadowraiths]

As I look back on how media reported JH and his crimes, I feel manipulated into thinking right from the start that this man "just snapped". All I heard, at first, was how this brilliant student lost his mind with no one noticing. Then, I heard a bunch of experts searching for mental illnesses to explain his actions, as though being intelligent and hiding his evil plans must mean mental illness.

Agreed. That's also why I tend to find talking heads who irresponsibly toss psychiatric labels, as fact, to be the worst of the bunch. Even so, the initial "s/he just snapped" thesis seems to be a common explanation any time a crime of this nature occurs. Over time, the truth does come out. Though, it is rarely satisfying. That is, it rarely includes warning signs that can be used to validly and reliably prevent future tragedies.

 

[Curious Me]

How James Holmes will be evaluated by psychiatrists

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/07/24/how-james-holmes-will-be-evaluated-by-psychiatrists/

Ah, good article.

 

[Billiam]

I read what everyone has to say and take it into consideration, but . . .

As I look back on how media reported JH and his crimes, I feel manipulated into thinking right from the start that this man "just snapped". All I heard, at first, was how this brilliant student lost his mind with no one noticing. Then, I heard a bunch of experts searching for mental illnesses to explain his actions, as though being intelligent and hiding his evil plans must mean mental illness. Enough, it's almost like brainwashing - I don't want to accept the diagnosis of the media and their power to sway me to either pity or anger in certain cases - just give me the real, validated facts, media.

JMO, just because you know someone with mental illness, or read something about certain conditions, doesn't make it so in this case. Just because his eyes look funny doesn't prove anything either. Just because you are an expert on the subject of mental illness doesn't mean much until facts are brought out. Obviously, he didn't "just snap" because the planning was ongoing for months and months. Plain ole criminals are sometimes really smart and sneaky too.

I think we might all agree, we want to know more about what lead JH to do such horrible things that would destroy other people, but we really can't fully understand it until more info comes out. This is my opinion only.

I understand your reasoning and frustration. Honestly I think JH should face the death penalty for what he has done. I think there is a fascination in the main stream media when someone commits such a horrible and random act. However there is also great concern among mental health professionals so they can explain why an individual like JH, with potential to do good for society and raised in a stable loving American home, can commit such an atrocity. What led to this? Psychologists want to know his pathological journey from a fairly normal undergraduate student, to a homicidal maniac calling himself the joker.

What he did was premeditated and he deserves to be held accountable for his own actions and manipulation.

 

[Curious Me]

Yeah, I'm just frustrated, but not ready to "snap". LOL

Media loves to use that wording of "he just snapped" for any senseless crime. Man kills his own family because his wife is leaving him, their house is being foreclosed, and he lost his job last week. Media explains it as "he just snapped". Weak, cowardly criminal actions that destroy other people can now be dismissed because of this wording according to media. Lots of people commit crimes because "they just don't care anymore" which is another lame excuse. Mental illness is not an excuse to kill either if you know right from wrong. We are not suppose to take anybody else's life. Period.

 

[HMSHood]

Media loves to use that wording of "he just snapped" for any senseless crime. Man kills his own family because his wife is leaving him, their house is being foreclosed, and he lost his job last week. Media explains it as "he just snapped". Weak, cowardly criminal actions that destroy other people can now be dismissed because of this wording according to media. Lots of people commit crimes because "they just don't care anymore" which is another lame excuse.

A myth that prevails in the media. Mass murderers do not snap. They are premeditating.

Mass Murderers, Unlike Serial Killers, Are Hard to Profile
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...nlike-serial-killers-are-hard-to-profile.html

“People usually don’t commit mass murder more than once,” says Dr. Michael Stone, professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, who has closely examined the minds of 208 mass murderers. “Usually you’re dealing with an angry, dissatisfied person who has poor social skills or few friends, and then there is a trigger that sets them off.”

“The precise knowledge of what makes these people tick is harder to come by than in a case of a serial killer who is studied very carefully by psychologists on the defense and prosecution,” Stone said, adding that 96.5 percent of mass murderers are male, and a majority aren’t clinically psychotic. Rather, they suffer from paranoia and often have acute behavioral or personality disorders. In some cases, like that of mass murderer James Huberty, who in 1984 shot dead 21 people and wounded 19 others at a McDonald’s in San Ysidro, California, the perpetrator harbors a severe grudge or murderous feelings toward someone. Huberty, whose murderous rampage went on for 77 minutes before a cop shot him dead, had been fired from his job not long before the incident.

“Jealousy is a subtype of paranoia,” Stone says, “but it doesn’t necessarily indicate psychosis.” Of the roughly 200 mass murderers whom Stone has studied, only 25 were ruled clinically insane. The others are generally social misfits or angry loners who are then “tipped over into ungovernable rage by some event,” says Stone.

Mass murderers are driven by grudges and persecution.

 

[Nova]

Hi Joe, Shawdowraiths has an amazing link from the University directly about this preliminary exam. It is couple post from here. The arguments on dates seems to be on the side for now ( for me ) since what we need to actually see is actual confirmations from students or school itself from that University about their own process. Yes some schools have leverage or flexibilities and i know that but some schools are also tight with records and following their own academic calendar as they have to provide records also to the government

In my graduate program, the first-year orals were held near the end of the Spring term because many of the faculty members spent summers doing research abroad. They tended to clear out pretty fast after their last Spring classes (often leaving the final exams and grading to TAs).

 

[~n/t~]

I don't know where to put this, all I can say is this happens all the time, I don't know what has happened to our society sometimes. A fan page, angering!

James Holmes Facebook Fan Page Apparently Taken Down

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/james-holmes-facebook-fan-page_n_1720195.html

adding another, now there are plenty of articles about this:

'Holmies for life': Shocking pictures reveal sick online fans of Dark Knight massacre gunman James Holmes who wear his favourite clothes

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...drink-slurpees-support.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

I hear you. Sickos! The same thing happened in Luka Magnotta's case.

 

[CARIIS]

Hi guys

I learned about power posting last week and have attempted not to do so. I just got done reading the last several days of posts and had some notions on this end. I believe, as far as mental illness goes, there are so many misperceptions. There is a social stigma related to mental illness in this country

Unlike medical, mental illness often lacks the concrete lab work testing; even when used in medical arena, markedly different diagnosis is commonplace. Even from the medical community.

Mental illness and, is far more complicated to diagnose. Diagnosis is key to intervention and treatment planning

As a result of mental health complexities often, the very same patient can, with the passage of months and or years present with different symptomology. By that I mean it would depend upon the individual state of mind at the time of evaluation. This often results will drastically different diagnosis and treatment.

As I’ve stated before in my opinion his withdrawal, from grad school, was actually the university attempting to separate itself, as a result the potential liabilities, from this poor, sick, and alone kid. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In terms of one of the dominant themes here on this thread, there appears to be this notion of intense planning. It is understandable and logical to conclude that the tactical garments he purchased and wore that night were for safety related reasons. In my opinion, shopping, preparing, putting the stuff on and taking it off we’re all related to the authentic delusion -- he was the joker. In my view, the tactical wear –in my opinion, is more symptomatic of the illness. Delusional thinking.

In addition, the fact that he did not engage law enforcement when approached, in my opinion, validates my notion that the gear was far more related to the delusion than any practical useful purpose. The joker was always dressed uniquely and had lots of guns to mess with -no?
In addition, the first words out of his mouth were I am the joker, again indicating that he authentically believed that he was the joker while engaging in his horrific behaviors.

Much has been said about his court room behavior. Everything that was observable that day in court was totally congruent with individuals suffering from a very serious and profound mental illness. In my opinion, I kind of think, schizoid-affective might be the closest based on what is known now.
It’s important to remember, that this kid that has gone through, quite an intense full previous week. I firmly believe that he had been placed back on medication prior to this court appearance. For all of us that have never experienced psychosis, I had an individual describe it to me once.
I’ve never forgotten it.

He basically stated that it is very similar to having a radio station tuned on that was in between two stations. . Basically like loud confusing static.
I think this explains his total bewilderment, confusion and eyebrows in court. He was coming in and out of what was going on in his head, and then trying to refocus and what was going on in the courtroom around him. Heck, for all of us legalese is hard enough.

Imagine you had two radio stations blaring in your head, were in jail unsure what is going on, around strangers, sitting in this complicated setting and just starting medications of which one side effect is profound confusion. I do not believe his court behavior was malingering in any way.

Schizoid-Affective Disorder:
Late adolescence and early adulthood are the peak years for the onset of schizoaffective disorder, although it has been very rarely diagnosed in childhood.
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental illness characterized by recurring episodes of mood disorder and psychosis. Psychosis is defined by paranoia, delusions and hallucinations. Mood disorders are defined by discrete periods of clinical depression, mixed episodes and manic episodes. Individuals with the disorder may experience psychotic symptoms before, during or (commonly) after their depressive, mixed or manic episodes.

Since the illness symptoms are similar to other disorders with prominent mood and psychotic symptoms like bipolar disorder with psychotic features and recurrent depression with psychotic features, the illness tends to be difficult to diagnose. It can be misdiagnosed as schizophrenia also,
Reliable schizoaffective disorder diagnosis usually requires an extended period of observation and treatment.

Untreated, the individual with schizoaffective disorder may experience delusions. It should be noted that delusions in schizoaffective disorder are acute manifestations of an active psychosis and are not personality traits; that is, they go away when the psychosis subsides.

Manifestations of delusions include the individual being convinced that he or she is Jesus or the Antichrist, has some special purpose or destiny (such as to save the world),

, the individual may see overt visual hallucinations such as monsters, the devil or more subtle ones such as shadowy apparitions. Individuals may hear voices or, in some cases, music [citation needed]. Things may look or sound differently. Individuals may also experience strange sensations. These hallucinations may worsen when the individual is intoxicated.


.
These abnormal thoughts may result in behaviors that are unusual for the individual during asymptomatic periods.

The individual may not rationally realize their actions, until after beginning treatment, and may then be shocked to realize what they did.
There may be a decline in work or school functioning during episodes of illness.
, individuals with schizoaffective disorder may withdraw socially and become isolated.
Difficulties with executive function may also be a problem for individuals with schizoaffective disorder. This may include difficulties with concentration, attention, logical reasoning and impulse control.

Without treatment, the individual with schizoaffective disorder may further worsen in their abnormal emotions and delusional thought processes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoaffective_disorder#Signs_and_symptoms

As I’ve stated from the onset, my opinion, intuitively, very first time I saw school administrators, struck me as off. They did not strike me in any way as empathetic or concerned about what the world had just experience the last 24 hours. They reminded me of CEOs from some giant corporation whose only concern was liability and money. As the story progresses those initial hunches, on this end, are becoming more and more evident.

In my opinion, this kid has suffered his entire life with profound mental illness. The psych meds often cause severe side effects, which for any individual that is already judgment impaired, as a result of the illness in and of itself; medication compliance is a severe treatment issue
.
However, his mother was a nurse and in all likelihood was aware of the role side effects have as it relates to medication compliance. My vote, would be that mom actually sat there and watched him swallow his medications, had him open his mouth to confirm that he had indeed swallowed it. In addition, frequently, in this cluster of mental illness full onset is typically not in childhood.

The abovementioned can account for his productivity in earlier years. However no one can force an adult to take medication. It is always helpful to have a support system, as it relates to encouraging the client to take their medications as ordered. This increases the likelihood of compliance. Once he separated from home, my opinion, he began a long cycle of having periods of when he was taking his medications as ordered and periods of time when he stops taking them.

Many of those suffering with mental illness self-medicate. The discussion about Vic oden AND a sedative in his car, in all likelihood, might indicate the above mentioned.

There is absolutely no correlation. Between mental illness and IQ. None.
Unlike Luka, in this tragic tale, I would not give antisocial personality much validity. The antisocial personality disorder typically does not experience delusions.

As it relates to the adult friend finder – I just tried to find again and can’t, -but when I saw it last week what struck me as profoundly odd and bizarre, was, first he had red hair in the profile. To me, that struck me as him having a profound notion that the joker was Omnipotent, attractive etc. etc...
I mainly wanted to try to find the site, to cut and paste this one line also on the page. When it asked about what he was looking for there was a statement something like looking for women who are in to men
. Instantaneously, that struck me as a very peculiar way to describe their sexuality
.
It stood out for me. Bizarre.

There was also in notions somewhere in the previous posts that his activities of daily living (grooming, dressing, and brushing teeth etc.) were appropriate. However, law enforcement described quite a cluttered apartment, and most certainly, in the images we’ve seen he certainly comes across as disheveled.

Early speculation: if we kind of roll here for a bit, it wouldn’t be that far off to possibly come up with a scenario like this. When first enrolled in the program he was taking his medications and was doing reasonably well. He stops taking these medications. These medications typically take several weeks to clear the system.

He started to decompensate.

Someone at the institution might have encouraged him to see the Dr. He now had a support system and began to take his medication again. He stabilized. The cycle repeats. He starts missing his appointments with the Dr. In the last semester, evidently, is GPA had begun to plummet. This would account for his orals performance. At this point, in this speculative portrayal, his behavior had become increasingly bothersome and confusing. Possibly threatening and frightening to both staff and fellow students.

Again, only in my opinion, speculation may have administration going to the Dr., reporting his increasingly erratic behavior while the doc. explained to them that she cannot force an adult to show for sessions or take his medications. This is where, in my speculative opinion, IMO, the school basically told him that he was no longer welcome in the program.

In order to do that though, (in my opinion this is the reason why the reason for him “(supposedly) withdrawing, from the beginning, from administration, was a? My guess here is that it would be a lot harder to remove someone from the program as it would be to be able to state that they voluntarily withdrew.

If it was documented he was asked not to return what would they document as the reason? ……student is becoming delusional, frightening, threatening etc. Far more liability in that instance.

So now, we had this kid, from all reports comes from a family that values achievement. His academic performance has been declining, he failed his orals, and he knows that his apartment is contingent with being in the program, so he is now homeless, he has no job. He has no friends. He has no support system. He is severely mentally ill.

Stressors exacerbate any illness.

I am deeply suspicious that anyone, who is destitute, alone, with no source of income, and homeless might indeed, be under some pressure.
As it relates to some of the speculation that this just might be a “snapped” situation, in my opinion, the likelihood of suicide being the end result would be more likely if” snapped” were indeed the cause of the tragedy.
We all know that malingering is a possibility. However in this situation turning ones apartment, into a lethal booby trap, then proceeding with the events of that evening that’s a pretty big stretch. He is faking instability?

As it relates to the doctor: speculation: When I worked with someone who was suffering with this cluster of pathology, very early on (as fast as possible!) I would have gotten release of information documentation signed by the individual, in that any of us working with these populations are fully aware that in all likelihood, down the road, we would have to be in contact with individuals that are around the individual in order to ascertain (in light of the chronic history of medication noncompliance and this population) what is going on for the individual.

In all likelihood, when the individual ceases taking their medication the probability that they will begin to miss sessions increases resulting in the need to be able to contact those that are around the individual in order to him safe and fulfill duty to warn obligations.

It also appeared to me that there is a misconception, as it relates to duty to warn obligations. The notion that the individual must overly, state any intention to harm self or others in a clear concise manner is false. It is diagnosis dependent to some degree not formally but in reality.

. If an individual, in this cluster, begins to, in a metaphorical manner, talking, and or hinting about doing things to others or self -----an informed opinion, and consultation with colleagues, can certainly result in involuntary commitment for further evaluation in order to assure the safety of everyone.

And finally, there was a gap in time (I think June 10 and July 20 – might he possibly have been hospitalized (interfering with completing the alleged voluntary w/ drawl) for a period of time? It seems he dropped off the planet for this period?

 

[waitin'4thewrld2chg]

Hi guys

I learned about power posting last week and have attempted not to do so. I just got done reading the last several days of posts and had some notions on this end. I believe, as far as mental illness goes, there are so many misperceptions. There is a social stigma related to mental illness in this country

Unlike medical, mental illness often lacks the concrete lab work testing; even when used in medical arena, markedly different diagnosis is commonplace. Even from the medical community.

Mental illness and, is far more complicated to diagnose. Diagnosis is key to intervention and treatment planning

As a result of mental health complexities often, the very same patient can, with the passage of months and or years present with different symptomology. By that I mean it would depend upon the individual state of mind at the time of evaluation. This often results will drastically different diagnosis and treatment.

As I’ve stated before in my opinion his withdrawal, from grad school, was actually the university attempting to separate itself, as a result the potential liabilities, from this poor, sick, and alone kid. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In terms of one of the dominant themes here on this thread, there appears to be this notion of intense planning. It is understandable and logical to conclude that the tactical garments he purchased and wore that night were for safety related reasons. In my opinion, shopping, preparing, putting the stuff on and taking it off we’re all related to the authentic delusion -- he was the joker. In my view, the tactical wear –in my opinion, is more symptomatic of the illness. Delusional thinking.

In addition, the fact that he did not engage law enforcement when approached, in my opinion, validates my notion that the gear was far more related to the delusion than any practical useful purpose. The joker was always dressed uniquely and had lots of guns to mess with -no?
In addition, the first words out of his mouth were I am the joker, again indicating that he authentically believed that he was the joker while engaging in his horrific behaviors.

Much has been said about his court room behavior. Everything that was observable that day in court was totally congruent with individuals suffering from a very serious and profound mental illness. In my opinion, I kind of think, schizoid-affective might be the closest based on what is known now.
It’s important to remember, that this kid that has gone through, quite an intense full previous week. I firmly believe that he had been placed back on medication prior to this court appearance. For all of us that have never experienced psychosis, I had an individual describe it to me once.
I’ve never forgotten it.

He basically stated that it is very similar to having a radio station tuned on that was in between two stations. . Basically like loud confusing static.
I think this explains his total bewilderment, confusion and eyebrows in court. He was coming in and out of what was going on in his head, and then trying to refocus and what was going on in the courtroom around him. Heck, for all of us legalese is hard enough.

Imagine you had two radio stations blaring in your head, were in jail unsure what is going on, around strangers, sitting in this complicated setting and just starting medications of which one side effect is profound confusion. I do not believe his court behavior was malingering in any way.

Schizoid-Affective Disorder:
Late adolescence and early adulthood are the peak years for the onset of schizoaffective disorder, although it has been very rarely diagnosed in childhood.
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental illness characterized by recurring episodes of mood disorder and psychosis. Psychosis is defined by paranoia, delusions and hallucinations. Mood disorders are defined by discrete periods of clinical depression, mixed episodes and manic episodes. Individuals with the disorder may experience psychotic symptoms before, during or (commonly) after their depressive, mixed or manic episodes.

Since the illness symptoms are similar to other disorders with prominent mood and psychotic symptoms like bipolar disorder with psychotic features and recurrent depression with psychotic features, the illness tends to be difficult to diagnose. It can be misdiagnosed as schizophrenia also,
Reliable schizoaffective disorder diagnosis usually requires an extended period of observation and treatment.

Untreated, the individual with schizoaffective disorder may experience delusions. It should be noted that delusions in schizoaffective disorder are acute manifestations of an active psychosis and are not personality traits; that is, they go away when the psychosis subsides.

Manifestations of delusions include the individual being convinced that he or she is Jesus or the Antichrist, has some special purpose or destiny (such as to save the world),

, the individual may see overt visual hallucinations such as monsters, the devil or more subtle ones such as shadowy apparitions. Individuals may hear voices or, in some cases, music [citation needed]. Things may look or sound differently. Individuals may also experience strange sensations. These hallucinations may worsen when the individual is intoxicated.


.
These abnormal thoughts may result in behaviors that are unusual for the individual during asymptomatic periods.

The individual may not rationally realize their actions, until after beginning treatment, and may then be shocked to realize what they did.
There may be a decline in work or school functioning during episodes of illness.
, individuals with schizoaffective disorder may withdraw socially and become isolated.
Difficulties with executive function may also be a problem for individuals with schizoaffective disorder. This may include difficulties with concentration, attention, logical reasoning and impulse control.

Without treatment, the individual with schizoaffective disorder may further worsen in their abnormal emotions and delusional thought processes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoaffective_disorder#Signs_and_symptoms

As I’ve stated from the onset, my opinion, intuitively, very first time I saw school administrators, struck me as off. They did not strike me in any way as empathetic or concerned about what the world had just experience the last 24 hours. They reminded me of CEOs from some giant corporation whose only concern was liability and money. As the story progresses those initial hunches, on this end, are becoming more and more evident.

In my opinion, this kid has suffered his entire life with profound mental illness. The psych meds often cause severe side effects, which for any individual that is already judgment impaired, as a result of the illness in and of itself; medication compliance is a severe treatment issue
.
However, his mother was a nurse and in all likelihood was aware of the role side effects have as it relates to medication compliance. My vote, would be that mom actually sat there and watched him swallow his medications, had him open his mouth to confirm that he had indeed swallowed it. In addition, frequently, in this cluster of mental illness full onset is typically not in childhood.

The abovementioned can account for his productivity in earlier years. However no one can force an adult to take medication. It is always helpful to have a support system, as it relates to encouraging the client to take their medications as ordered. This increases the likelihood of compliance. Once he separated from home, my opinion, he began a long cycle of having periods of when he was taking his medications as ordered and periods of time when he stops taking them.

Many of those suffering with mental illness self-medicate. The discussion about Vic oden AND a sedative in his car, in all likelihood, might indicate the above mentioned.

There is absolutely no correlation. Between mental illness and IQ. None.
Unlike Luka, in this tragic tale, I would not give antisocial personality much validity. The antisocial personality disorder typically does not experience delusions.

As it relates to the adult friend finder – I just tried to find again and can’t, -but when I saw it last week what struck me as profoundly odd and bizarre, was, first he had red hair in the profile. To me, that struck me as him having a profound notion that the joker was Omnipotent, attractive etc. etc...
I mainly wanted to try to find the site, to cut and paste this one line also on the page. When it asked about what he was looking for there was a statement something like looking for women who are in to men
. Instantaneously, that struck me as a very peculiar way to describe their sexuality
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It stood out for me. Bizarre.

There was also in notions somewhere in the previous posts that his activities of daily living (grooming, dressing, and brushing teeth etc.) were appropriate. However, law enforcement described quite a cluttered apartment, and most certainly, in the images we’ve seen he certainly comes across as disheveled.

Early speculation: if we kind of roll here for a bit, it wouldn’t be that far off to possibly come up with a scenario like this. When first enrolled in the program he was taking his medications and was doing reasonably well. He stops taking these medications. These medications typically take several weeks to clear the system.

He started to decompensate.

Someone at the institution might have encouraged him to see the Dr. He now had a support system and began to take his medication again. He stabilized. The cycle repeats. He starts missing his appointments with the Dr. In the last semester, evidently, is GPA had begun to plummet. This would account for his orals performance. At this point, in this speculative portrayal, his behavior had become increasingly bothersome and confusing. Possibly threatening and frightening to both staff and fellow students.

Again, only in my opinion, speculation may have administration going to the Dr., reporting his increasingly erratic behavior while the doc. explained to them that she cannot force an adult to show for sessions or take his medications. This is where, in my speculative opinion, IMO, the school basically told him that he was no longer welcome in the program.

In order to do that though, (in my opinion this is the reason why the reason for him “(supposedly) withdrawing, from the beginning, from administration, was a? My guess here is that it would be a lot harder to remove someone from the program as it would be to be able to state that they voluntarily withdrew.

If it was documented he was asked not to return what would they document as the reason? ……student is becoming delusional, frightening, threatening etc. Far more liability in that instance.

So now, we had this kid, from all reports comes from a family that values achievement. His academic performance has been declining, he failed his orals, and he knows that his apartment is contingent with being in the program, so he is now homeless, he has no job. He has no friends. He has no support system. He is severely mentally ill.

Stressors exacerbate any illness.

I am deeply suspicious that anyone, who is destitute, alone, with no source of income, and homeless might indeed, be under some pressure.
As it relates to some of the speculation that this just might be a “snapped” situation, in my opinion, the likelihood of suicide being the end result would be more likely if” snapped” were indeed the cause of the tragedy.
We all know that malingering is a possibility. However in this situation turning ones apartment, into a lethal booby trap, then proceeding with the events of that evening that’s a pretty big stretch. He is faking instability?

As it relates to the doctor: speculation: When I worked with someone who was suffering with this cluster of pathology, very early on (as fast as possible!) I would have gotten release of information documentation signed by the individual, in that any of us working with these populations are fully aware that in all likelihood, down the road, we would have to be in contact with individuals that are around the individual in order to ascertain (in light of the chronic history of medication noncompliance and this population) what is going on for the individual.

In all likelihood, when the individual ceases taking their medication the probability that they will begin to miss sessions increases resulting in the need to be able to contact those that are around the individual in order to him safe and fulfill duty to warn obligations.

It also appeared to me that there is a misconception, as it relates to duty to warn obligations. The notion that the individual must overly, state any intention to harm self or others in a clear concise manner is false. It is diagnosis dependent to some degree not formally but in reality.

. If an individual, in this cluster, begins to, in a metaphorical manner, talking, and or hinting about doing things to others or self -----an informed opinion, and consultation with colleagues, can certainly result in involuntary commitment for further evaluation in order to assure the safety of everyone.

And finally, there was a gap in time (I think June 10 and July 20 – might he possibly have been hospitalized (interfering with completing the alleged voluntary w/ drawl) for a period of time? It seems he dropped off the planet for this period?

I haven't noticed anyone power posting.