Shooting 20 children and six adults to death inside an elementary school sounds like the actions of someone who is mentally ill, but Idaho State University psychology professor Shannon Lynch said that might not be the case. Lynch says seemingly insane acts can be committed by sane people.

    “People who have mental health issues are not usually more violent,” Lynch said. “If anything they are more likely to hurt themselves.”

    Lynch, who is also a licensed clinical psychologist and teaches classes in abnormal psychology, said what happened Friday morning in Newtown, Connecticut strikes everyone as crazy behavior, but the facts about the shooter's mental health history are unknown at this point. She said people who engage in substance abuse and have a history of violence are more likely to lash out at other people.

    “There's no way to know,” she said about the case of the Connecticut shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza.

    Authorities have reported that Lanza shot his mother Nancy Lanza dead at their family home before driving to the school and targeting her kindergarten class at Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 students and six adults were killed before Lanza shot himself.

    Lynch said many states, including Idaho, have cut back funding for mental health services and that does create an opportunity for people with mental health issues to slip through the cracks.

    “A loss of services does increase the risk,” she said. “We do have many serious mental health issues in the country.”

    According to a study done by the World Health Organization in 2011, one out of 17 people in the U.S. lives with a severe mental illness. Idaho mental health detentions by police responding to an emergency increased 19 percent from 2008 to 2011, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

    Lynch said studies she has reviewed show Idaho ranks fairly high among the 50 states for the percentage of its population suffering from mental health issues. But while states like Idaho grapple with funding issues, people go without counseling or medication.

    She said a shooting like the one in Connecticut will have a powerful impact on children.

    “We all have a major assumption of safety,” Lynch said, using the analogy of green and red traffic lights to illustrate her point. She said if the lights are no longer indicators of when it is safe to proceed or not, “It puts real wear and tear on you.”

    Children are taught to expect a safe environment at school. If that comfort zone is challenged, it will cause emotional conflict.

    “What makes people feel safe is when their environment is predictable,” Lynch said.

    The uncertainty about safe places and the fact young people have difficulty understanding the permanency of death will create issues for children in the country. Lynch said those who have experienced trauma where their “safe places” have been compromised before will have the most difficult time processing the events in Connecticut.

    “Anytime a person has had a previous trauma, it puts you at greater risk of responding in a bad way,” she said.