Nancy Lanza Caught in Mental Health Trap Before Massacre

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright November 28, 2013
All Rights Reserved.                                      

            When 20-year-old misanthrope Adam Lanza murdered his mother Nancy Lanza, then massacred 20 school children, six school personnel and then committed suicide April 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the system failed.  While predicting violent behavior is never easy, all the warning signs were there for the rampage to be prevented.  Whether or not the police find an appropriate “motive” for the massacre, parents, teachers, law enforcement, etc. all bear some responsibility for the failure to do anything to prevent violent episodes before victimizing countless numbers of innocent people.  For families without resources—including appropriate mental health insurance coverage—the chances of mishaps rise dramatically.  Those, like Nancy, with all the resources to enlist appropriate educational, mental health or law enforcement personnel have less excuses.

             Following mass murders, especially those with wayward youth, it’s reasonable to ask who’s responsible for at least tipping off authorities that there’s a ticking time bomb on the loose.  Following the Sandy Hook tragedy, there’s been considerable scrutiny over Adam’s life before the massacre.  Reports now circulating suggest Adam had walled himself off in his bedroom for months, communicating only by email to his mother.  “I think we will always be bewildered by someone who did express her concern for her son, why she sought to engage him in firearms,” said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, raising issues over Nancy’s judgment but also second amendment issues.  Pro-gun groups, like the National Rifle Assn., see any attempt to regulate firearms in the wake of mass murders as encroachment on the Second Amendment.  There’s something wrong giving easy access to firearms to the mentally ill.

             When look beyond the Second Amendment, preventing mass murder by the mentally ill or politically motivated terrorist acts all have the same priority:  To prevent public acts of violence.  “Not even those folks who oppose reasonable gun safety legislation would argue that it was a good idea to have some who was evidencing this kind of disturbance to have possession of the kinds of weapons that he had possession of,” said Malloy, pointing toward some accountability for registered gun owners.  Feeding her mentally ill son’s obsession with violence by giving him easy access to firearms raises some basic questions regarding parental responsibility.  Nancy Lanza reportedly received 15,000 a month from her divorces husband, giving her plenty of resources to deal with her son’s mental illness, including getting him the appropriate evaluation and treatment.

             Current mental health laws make it difficult for parents, guardians or caregivers to involuntarily confine loved ones they think are dangers to themselves and others.  Even had Nancy Lanza wanted to hospitalize her son for mental health evaluation in what’s known as an involuntary hold, it’s likely she would have been turned down.  Whether or not her insurance would have paid for Adam’s inpatient or outpatient treatment is anyone’s guess.  Today’s criteria for an involuntary holds require patients to be actively engaged in suicidal of violent behavior before a hold would be considered.  Knowing Adam’s deteriorated mental state, Nancy should have at least sought professional help.  “She was a victim, not and accessory,” said Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox in Boston.  When you step out of the ivory tower, common sense tells you to not make guns available to mentally ill youth. 

              While there’s great resistance to reforming gun laws, too many massacres, like the one at Virginia Tech April 16, 2007 that killed 33 students and faculty, keeping guns away from the mentally ill is a top priority.  “We can easily second-guess parents, and there’s a lot there we can question, but the fact of matter is many people commit horrible crimes despite the best efforts of parents, siblings and others,” said Fox, knowing Nancy fed Adam’s violent obsessions by exposing him to firearms.  Recent reports about Nancy giving Adam a Christmas check before the massacre to buy his own handgun tell the whole story.  If state gun laws require gun owners, like Nancy, to keep firearms under lock-and-key, she’d still be alive.  “Just because your son committed that horrible act doesn’t mean she was a horrible mother,” said Peggy Sinclair-Morris, special education teacher in Midlothian, Va.

            Looking at the big picture, no parent, guardian or custodian should make guns available to mentally disturbed individuals.  Massacres like Newtown can’t be prevented until there’s a way of keeping guns away from irresponsible individuals.  Registered gun owners have responsibility of keeping firearms away from anyone not authorized to use them.  Whether Nancy Lanza contributed to her son’s mental problems is anyone’s guess.  What’s not guesswork is aiding-and-abetting a mentally ill person’s violent propensities.  Whatever happened in Adam’s family may never be fully known.  What’s known is that Adam did not get the proper mental health treatment to prevent one of the deadliest mass murders in U.S. history.  Gun and mental health laws must get on the same page to prevent future violent episodes.  No parent or guardian should make guns accessible to the mentally ill.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.