Mental illness and disorders among Mass Shooters

I made some of the examples very short (like Kip Kinkel), because I think most people will already know about this case. And I made some other examples very detailed (like that from Tim Kretschmer and Steven Kazmierczak) because some of the information was only available in Germany (Tim) or most people didnt given much attention to the case (Steven).


Seung Hui Cho: Was diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder, Selective Mutism and Depression, during Middle School.

Kipland Kinkel: Was diagnosed with Depression previously of the shooting and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in the aftermath of the shooting.

Michael Carneal: Was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in the aftermath of the shooting.

Andrew Wurst: Was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in the aftermath of the shooting.

Luke Woodham: A psychiatrist noted that Luke Woodham had a “psychotic processing and misinterpret reality”.

Tim Kretschmer: One year before the shooting, Tim showed his mother a Wikipedia-site about bipolar disorder and claimed to suffer from it. He got three meetings with a psychiatrist and told her, that he was suffering from heavy mood-swings, that he could not concentrate and that he had circular and racing thoughts about shooting people and how evil humanity is. The psychiatrist noted, that Tim made no eye-contact, seemed sometimes very nervous and emotional absent at the other moment. She suspected a psychotic episode or an atypical autism but concluded, that Tim “doesn’t appears as threat to other or himself”

Steven Kazmierczak: During High School, Steven made nine suicide attempts and was hospitalized. At psychiatric treatment he claimed to hear voices, that he could read other people’s thoughts and that he could see a former girlfriend of his. He was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder, Schizoid Personality Traits and Psychosocial Stressors and was also found to abusing Cannabis. He was put on anti-depressive and anti-psychotic drugs and moved from one psychiatric hospital to another before he was released years later.

Jeffrey Weise: tried to commit suicide twice and was put on Prozac. It is unknown, if he took it at the time of the shooting.

Pekka-Eric Auvinen: Was put on Prozac for Panic Disorder and social anxiety. He stopped the medication a few months before the shooting.

Adam Lanza: Was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and sensory integration disorder (which is not an official accepted disorder).

Anders Behring Breivik: During childhood, Breivik was described by a psychiatrist as having an “peculiar smile, suggesting it was not anchored in his emotions but was rather a deliberate response to his environment”.
He was diagnosed two times during the trial: the first psychiatrist team diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. This was contradicted by a second team, who claimed that Breivik is sane and only suffered from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Wellington Oliveira: His mother was diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

Great Topic.

Martin Bryant, Killed 35, Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia, 1996
As a child it is noted Bryant was severely bullied, disruptive and violent. When suspended from school a psychological assessment mentioned him torturing animals. Bryant attended a special education facility where his behavior deteriorated as he grew. He had possible mental retardation and autism. One psychiatrist wrote he could have schizophrenia. As an adult he had been assessed for a disability pension. He is now held in a secure mental health unit for inmates with severe mental health issues. Bryant has attempted suicide numerous times since his arrest. Wikipedia notes his motivation as: depression and anger.

Charles Whitman (The Texas Tower Sniper), Killed 17 (inc unborn child), Texas University, 1966
Prior to the shootings he had visited several University doctors and later a psychiatrist. He was prescribed Valium by a doctor and had conveyed his feelings of violent impulses to a campus psychiatrist.
(just a warning if anyone Wikipedia's this at all there's an unpleasant picture on the page)

Edward Charles Allaway, Killed 7, California State University, Fullerton, 1976
Several different mental health professionals diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. It is noted that he was considered to have a history of mental illness for which he had been previously hospitalized.

Joseph Thomas Wesbecker, Killed 8, Louisville, Kentucky, 1989
Wesbecker had at least 3 separate stays in mental facilities. He was described as suffering from depression and manic depression. He was considered a threat to himself and others. Wesbecker was seeing a psychiatrist at the time of the shooting.

Heinz Jakob Friedrich Ernst Schmidt, Killed 4, St Marys Catholic School, Bremen, Germany, 1913
Prior to the shootings had left his place of employment due to a mental breakdown. He also had a stint in a sanatorium. He was diagnosed after the shootings as insane.

It's incredibly sad to note a huge number of mass shooters were either receiving some kind of professional help at the time of their shootings, had sought medical assistance or were on medication designed to help them. It's interesting to note as well how many appeared to know something was going on in their minds for which they needed help.

I believe I read somewhere that Charles Whitman had a brain tumor as well. And he actually tried to tell various doctors that he had a brain tumor, but it was only diagnosed posthumously. Or is this me making things up?

I have also read, that he had a brain tumor, but I never read that he told people about that. For my knowledge, He only told his psychiatrist, that he was afraid of his violent phantasies of shooting people.

I'll have to try and find a source on that. I clearly remember reading that he told someone he had a brain tumor, but I'm not 100% on it being a doctor.

James Holmes: Told a fellow student, that he was suffering from Dysphoric Mania and that she should stay away from him.

Ernst August Wagner: Was diagnosed with Paranoia (which is now known as paranoid Schizophrenia) and was the first person in Württemberg, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Nidal Malik Hasan: Several colleagues and superiors were confused by his behavior prior to the shooting and suspected a Psychosis.

Robert A. Hawkins: Was diagnosed with Depression,  attention deficit disorder, an unspecified mood disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and parent-child relationship problems, during his childhood.

Jared Loughner: Was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in the aftermath of the shooting.

Walter Seifert: Was diagnosed with Schizophrenia prior to the massacre.

Tristan van der Vlies: Was diagnosed with paranoid Schizophrenia prior to the shooting.

Charles Whitman did have a tumor. It was said to have been pressing on the amygdalae region of the brain, which controls the fight or flight response. Scientist say it's possible that it made him lose control of his emotion and act out violently. If so, that's probably one of the most interesting causes for mass murder.

Most people dispute that his tumor had anything to don with why he did what he did.The author of the one book on the case makes this argument saying that preparations he made before proves that he was sane and knew exactly what he was doing. But I disagree.This was a man who was violently losing his grip and didn't understand why.He knew something was wrong and he felt he was losing control over his actions.Even though he had a tumor people don't want to give any excuse to someone who did this.I don't think he would have done this without the tumor.

Lifetime wrote:

Charles Whitman did have a tumor. It was said to have been pressing on the amygdalae region of the brain, which controls the fight or flight response. Scientist say it's possible that it made him lose control of his emotion and act out violently. If so, that's probably one of the most interesting causes for mass murder.

Michael Robert Ryan, killed 17 including self, injured 15, Hungerford, England, United Kingdom, 1987
After his death a Dr Higgins a consultant forensic psychiatrist concluded Ryan was more than likely suffering from acute schizophrenia and was psychotic. Press converge at the time suggested Ryan had an unhealthy relationship with his mother (one of the victims) who spoiled him. 

Mark O Barton, killed 12, injured 13, Stockbridge, Georgia, USA, 1999
In 1995 O Barton began to suffer from severe depression and paranoid delusions. 

Christian Dornier, killed 14, injured 8, Luxiol, France, 1989
Found not guilty by reason of insanity and has been receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital since 1991. Dornier was diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. 

David Malcolm Gray, killed 14 including self, injured 4, Aramoana, New Zealand, 1990
It is noted Gray's mental state deteriorated months before the attack. Those who knew him reported a decline in his mental health. 

Interesting article 'The Fraudulent Diagnosis for Mass Murderers' 
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How many of the surviving mass shooters end up in the nut house? Not many, most go to the big house. Real mental illness(paranoid schizophrenia and manic depressive) rarely causes this type of violence.

starviego wrote:

How many of the surviving mass shooters end up in the nut house?  Not many, most go to the big house.

That is not very significant, because even those shooters, who were diagnosed with some mental illnesses, were send to prison.

Quote :

Real mental illness(paranoid schizophrenia and manic depressive) rarely causes this type of violence.

I disagree. I think the bulk of mass-shooters acted out of some kind of mental illness.

What about Adam Lanza or the people that go back to their so called 'roots' and shoot em up? Is it a underlying psychological problem? Does that type of thing always develop or is it learned? Or have they just admired the school shooters so much and so long that they thought they were a part of them and understood them? Further more I believe no one could completely understand Eric&Dylan simply because so much is hidden yet you can kind of and I mean KIND OF get a grasp on what they where trying to accomplish. Yes, some of this post does not comply with the OP but I ask is this the order after 4/20/99? Many years have passed and we have seen the news lean away from 'Columbine' as "the" school shooting, yet more and more Mass Murderers are leaning towards Columbine or at least mentioning it. Cho felt a reasoning in his stomach with Eric and Dylan and he related to it in his situation. Ergo Video tapes/Manifesto and quick Natural Selection with a little side dish of WRATH and HATRED. I'm so confused with ALL of it, a thousand thoughts pass through my mind a day and I can't quite grasp a base source of information on any of it. This is my first post, sorry for grammar and spelling errors. Maybe Society does kill the teenager

I was just talking to a person who told me her son got kicked out of school for making a "kill list". He's now being homeschooled and is, according to her, now a perfectly happy teenager. Mentally ill or bullied to the breaking point?

What about female school shooters? Mental illness occurs frequently in females as well. It would seem that more teenage girls would plan these events.

Wideawake wrote:

I was just talking to a person who told me her son got kicked out of school for making a "kill list". He's now being homeschooled and is, according to her, now a perfectly happy teenager. Mentally ill or bullied to the breaking point?

What about female school shooters? Mental illness occurs frequently in females as well. It would seem that more teenage girls would plan these events.

Well, at first I will overthink my statement and re-formulate it: I think the bulk of mass-shooters are acting out of some kind of mental-illness or a severe personality disorder. (In some cases maybe even both)

In case of the child you talked about: making a death list is not the same like committing a mass-shooting. I may be a step to it, it may also just a way to express anger. I dont know this child, but I would not necessarily consider him a potential mass-shooter.
If bullying causes mass-shootings, why then there severel mass-shooters, who clearly never suffered from it?

I never have said, that mental illnesses (or personality disorders) are the only reason why people do mass-shootings, but I suspect that it is an important factor in most cases.

Maybe we could count all mass-shooters who did not commit suicide and research how many of them were diagnosed with something and how many werent? 

Hale-Bopp wrote:

James Holmes: Told a fellow student, that he was suffering from Dysphoric Mania and that she should stay away from him.

Really nice.

Thanks for this interesting thread. I have read a book about mass murder and Charles Whitman was one topic. The author wrote that he had a tumor, but that had nothing to do with his action.

One L. Goh: Was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in the aftermath of the shooting.

Jiverly Wong: Told his father at one occasion, that people were going to kill him: He pointed in front of him and said, “They’re in front
of me and trying to capture me.” Concerned about his sons mental health, his father took him to a hospital, but because Jiverlys english skills were low, he could not speak with the professionals. He was released without treatment.
In his suicide letter, Jiverly claimed that the police had monitored him, spread rumors about him and had broke into his house. Because there is no evidence, that he was ever the subject of a police investigation prior to the shooting, this claims appear very likely as a delusion. You can read his suicide note here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hale-Bopp wrote:

Wideawake wrote:

I was just talking to a person who told me her son got kicked out of school for making a "kill list". He's now being homeschooled and is, according to her, now a perfectly happy teenager. Mentally ill or bullied to the breaking point?

What about female school shooters? Mental illness occurs frequently in females as well. It would seem that more teenage girls would plan these events.

Well, at first I will overthink my statement and re-formulate it: I think the bulk of mass-shooters are acting out of some kind of mental-illness or a severe personality disorder. (In some cases maybe even both)

In case of the child you talked about: making a death list is not the same like committing a mass-shooting. I may be a step to it, it may also just a way to express anger. I dont know this child, but I would not necessarily consider him a potential mass-shooter.
If bullying causes mass-shootings, why then there severel mass-shooters, who clearly never suffered from it?

I never have said, that mental illnesses (or personality disorders) are the only reason why people do mass-shootings, but I suspect that it is an important factor in most cases.

Maybe we could count all mass-shooters who did not commit suicide and research how many of them were diagnosed with something and how many werent? 

I don't know the kid either, but based on the bullying the mother described THAT SHE WAS AWARE OF, I'm not sure I would blame him if he had taken the next step. And while he might be diagnosed with something after the fact, he currently hasn't been.

I agree that mental illness is definitely a factor in many mass shootings. Based on the list you've compiled, I think there's a great amount of evidence for it. I simply wonder why we don't see more females executing, or at the least plotting, these types of events. Is it because females are more likely to internalize feelings and turn them on themselves than to society as a whole? I really wonder.

Update for Anders Behring Breivik: He was not only diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia by one team of psychologist and following diagnosed with narcissistic-personality disorder by another team, but there was also a third psychologist who diagnosed him with Asperger Syndrome and Tourette.
In contradiction to the first two diagnoses, who were not made public, you can watch the entire speech of this psychologist on youtube.

The subtitles are german, but you can adjust it, that youtube translates them to english:

Part 1: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Part 2: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Part 3: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Part 4: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Part 5: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Ljubiša Bogdanović: His family has a history of mental illness.

Hale-Bopp wrote:

Maybe we could count all mass-shooters who did not commit suicide and research how many of them were diagnosed with something and how many werent? 

Perhaps this could be an idea for another thread which is the opposite of this one? Mass shooters who were not diagnosed with a mental illness or any kind of disorder.
I know this will be difficult in the case of mass shooters who committed suicide and were not diagnosed with anything beforehand as you mention. But it would be interesting to have a list of living mass shooters who were never officially diagnosed with anything pre or post shooting despite what some of their behaviors may indicate or what others have said about them.

queenfarooq wrote:

Hale-Bopp wrote:

Maybe we could count all mass-shooters who did not commit suicide and research how many of them were diagnosed with something and how many werent? 

Perhaps this could be an idea for another thread which is the opposite of this one? Mass shooters who were not diagnosed with a mental illness or any kind of disorder.
I know this will be difficult in the case of mass shooters who committed suicide and were not diagnosed with anything beforehand as you mention. But it would be interesting to have a list of living mass shooters who were never officially diagnosed with anything pre or post shooting despite what some of their behaviors may indicate or what others have said about them.

Yeah, I thought about this, too.

This site lists a lot of shootings in the USA & also lists mental health of shooters etc

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&

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sororityalpha wrote:

This site lists a lot of shootings in the USA & also lists mental health of shooters etc

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Aaah, that is a great find! But how can I read the full text about the details in mental health? In most cases, it stops in the middle of the sentence.

Lanza:
Autism
OCD
Anxiety
Depression
Anorexia
Possible schizophrenia

Jon Romano:
Major clinical depression.

Laurie Dann: OCD

Laurie Dann, Steven Kazmierczak and Ely Serna were bulimic.

Pekka Eric uvinen:
Anxiety and depression.

Randy Stair - Depression (Although never formally diagnosed, it's a pretty fair bet to say he had it)

Alex Hribal:
Major depression with psychosis or a depressive type psychosis disorder

Alvaro Castillo:
Alternately diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis not otherwise specified, schizotypal personality disorder, depression, and obsessive compulsive traits
Symptoms: Paranoid delusions, hallucinations, delusional system, magical thinking, manic episodes, and suicidal ideation

Rafael juniors: Depression, unspecified personality disorder

James Sheets (2003 Red Lion Junior High School shooting): Depression

Peter Langman suggests that:
Robert Poulin, Brenda Spencer, Barry Loukaitis, Andrew Golden, Eric Harris, Robert Steinhäuser, Charles Whitman, and Tim Kretschmer were psychopathic.
Michael Carneal, Andrew Wurst, Kip Kinkel, and Alvaro Castillo were schizophrenic.
Luke Woodham, Dylan Klebold, Marc Lépine, Thomas Hamilton, and Pekka-Eric Auvinen were schizotypal.
Peter Odighizuwa, Biswanath Halder, and Amy Bishop were either schizophrenic or schizotypal.
Edward Allaway, One Goh, Seung Hui Cho, Jiverly Wong, Bruco Eastwood, James Wilson, Wellington de Oliveira, Adam Lanza, and Kimveer Gill were schizophrenic.
Jillian Robbins was depressed and psychotic.
Laurie Dann as psychopathic and psychotic.

Elliot Rodger was also classified has psychotic and psychopathic.

Patrick Purdy:
Drug Dependency Disorder (in 1984)
Borderline intellectual functioning (in 1984)
Mixed Personality Disorder (in 1984)
Emotionally and sexually immaturity (in 1988)
Depression (in 1988)

Anton Lundin Pettersson's oldest brother speculated that he had "some neuropsychiatric disability such as autism or Asperger’s syndrome." However, it was never officially diagnosed.

Brenda Spencer was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder after the shooting.

William Atchinson claimed to be anorexic until 2010.

James Holmes diagnosed himself with:
- Dysphoric mania
- Generalized anxiety disorder / social anxiety discorder
- OCD
- Chronic PTSD
- Aspergers symdrome / autism
- ADHD
- Schizophrenia
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Borderline / narcissistic / anxiety / avoidant / obsessive compulsive personality disorder
- Chronic insomnia
- Psychosis
- Trichotillomania (hair pulling)
- Adjustment disorder
- Pain disorder (?)
- Restless leg syndrome
(Source, page 9.)

Before the shooting, James was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder and possible autism (although I don't think he was told that.)

Not a mass shotter but a family annihilator, Ricardo Barreda he was diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.

Lee Chi Hang (李志衡) (1982 Anne Anne Kindergarten stabbing): Schizophrenia
Nathan Chiasson: Schizophrenia
Kim de Gelder (2009 Dendermonde nursery attack): Depression, schizophrenia (or possibly schizotypal personality disorder with psychopathic traits and narcissistic features.)
Mamoru Takuma (2001 Osaka school massacre): depression, schizophrenia
Yasuaki Uwabe: Social phobias, paranoid personality disorder
David Cedric Morgan (1994 Rackham's mass stabbing): schizophrenia, hypomania, and depressive psychosis.
Muhaydin Mire: Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, paranoid psychotic episodes.

Alek Minassian: Autism / Asperger syndrome.
Trystan Andrew Terrell: Autism

Shawn Cooper (1999 Notus Jr. Sr. High School shooting, 4 days before Columbine): Bipolar disorder
Vaughan Pollen (1978 Sturgeon Creek Regional Secondary School shooting): Paranoid schizophrenia
Unnamed woman (2014 Vysočina stabbing): Schizophrenia
Shane Schumerth (2012 Episcopal School of Jacksonville shooting): Depression
Horrett Campbell (1996 Wolverhampton machete attack): Paranoid schizophrenia
Liu Hongwen (2004 Chenzhou school attack): Schizophrenia
Liu Zhigang (2004 Central Primary School of Mingcheng stabbing): Schizophrenia
Wang Hongbin (2011 Gongyi axe attack): Schizophrenia

Ian David Long (2018 Thousand Oaks shooting): PTSD from Afghanistan, anxiety / social anxiety, depression
Breanna Long (2016 Dunbarton High School stabbing): Claimed to have depression and autism, seemingly self-diagnosed

David Ali Sonboly - Depression, Social Anxiety

Not a mass shooter but James Fairweather - Dyslexia, Autism

Alvaro castillo: major depressive disorder

Dylann Roof:
Possibly autism
Mixed Substance Abuse Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Possibly Schizoid Personality Disorder
Possibly Avoidant Personality Disorder

Ian David Long: Insomnia

Eric Hainstock (2006 Weston High School shooting): ADHD
Chris Krumm (2012 Casper College attack): Autism

Anton Lundin Pettersson: Depression, autism (not diagnosed during his life)
The 23 year old gunman of the 1988 Farsund shooting: Schizophrenia since his early teenage years

The following school attackers were deemed mentally ill or insane:
John Daniel Christian (1978 Murchison Junior High School shooting)
Clay Shrout (1994 Ryle High School hostage crisis)
Chen Peiquan (2003 Yang Gan Middle School stabbing)
Jitrada Tantiwanichayasuk (2004 Saint Joseph Convent School stabbing)
Chen Wenzhen (2008 Leizhou No. 2 Middle School stabbing)
Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood (2010 Deer Creek Middle School shooting)
Unnamed woman (2014 Zdar nad Sazavou stabbing)
Mario S. (2014 Federal School Center shooting)
James Underwood (1971 Grove shooting)
Li Chihang (1982 Anne Anne Kindergarten stabbing)
Kuang Xi (2007 Hongqiao Primary School throwing)
Yang Jiaqin (2010 Xichang elementary school stabbing)
Lau Hui Chung (2011 Muar kindergarten hostage crisis)
John Christopher Higgins (1923 Waikino shooting)
Robert Mone (1967 St John's RC High School shooting)
David Taber (1993 Ford Middle School shooting)
Huan Xiang (2002 Monash University shooting)

Rodrick Shonte Dantzler (2011 Grand Rapids shootings): Bipolar disorder
Heinz Jakob Friedrich Ernst Schmidt suffered a nervous breakdown around a year before the massacre and was declared insane afterward.

dyonqqr wrote:

James Sheets (2003 Red Lion Junior High School shooting): Depression

Peter Langman suggests that:
Robert Poulin, Brenda Spencer, Barry Loukaitis, Andrew Golden, Eric Harris, Robert Steinhäuser, Charles Whitman, and Tim Kretschmer were psychopathic.
Michael Carneal, Andrew Wurst, Kip Kinkel, and Alvaro Castillo were schizophrenic.
Luke Woodham, Dylan Klebold, Marc Lépine, Thomas Hamilton, and Pekka-Eric Auvinen were schizotypal.
Peter Odighizuwa, Biswanath Halder, and Amy Bishop were either schizophrenic or schizotypal.
Edward Allaway, One Goh, Seung Hui Cho, Jiverly Wong, Bruco Eastwood, James Wilson, Wellington de Oliveira, Adam Lanza, and Kimveer Gill were schizophrenic.
Jillian Robbins was depressed and psychotic.
Laurie Dann as psychopathic and psychotic.

My observations:

Robert Steinhäuser is debatable. Given his life history, I'd rather suspect depression and the desire to "get away from it all". Of course I didn't know the man. He could have been both psychopathic and depressed, but it is an unlikely combination.

Adam Lanza... he seems to have suffered from ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and also from something else that caused psychotic delusions. Paranoid Schizophrenia is a possible explanation, but an equally good one would be DD (Delusional disorder). Lanza is a complex case, not because we lack facts (We know he was really doing poorly mental wise, but the sheer extent of symptoms suggests comorbidity).

Pekka-Eric Auvinen as schizotypal? Don't know where that assumption comes from. I've certainly never seen anything to suggest that.

Kimveer Gill - I haven't seen enough concrete evidence to allow me to make an assessment. Schizophrenic, schizotypal, DD... all are possible, but I would myself bet on the most simple explanation: Depression + low empathy.

José rabadán pardo was diagnosed with a epileptic psychosis.