It is unlikely that anything immediate, albeit grief can come from the tragedy at Isla Vista. I saw this type of problem coming decades ago when I published my dissertation, “What Makes Teens Tick? A Hybrid Health Belief Model to Understanding Adolescent Help-Seeking Behavior”. The core of my dissertation was to construct an instrument that public and private educators could use across the student body to recognize the mental health needs of their student population and to better serve those needs through building school-based response services.
Today, I stand by the need for such a ‘survey’ based administration to students across school campuses. No one will likely outlaw firearms in America, and access to them; however, we can legislate schools to administer screenings to help encourage youth to utilize existing mental health services within the school districts and campuses while we encourage schools to build better, stronger infrastructure with less barriers access to mental health services.
The Chambers Brothers called for change years ago in a song simply, called “The Time Has Come Today”. John Lennon in singing “Revolution” called for practical reform. I am asking that you support the idea of responsible education, and recognize there are many of us who do care about individual rights while encouraging individuals to get treatment. Take action. Contact your legislatures, your school districts and school boards to get involved. Call to have your youth assessed today to see what services they need to mature, flourish, and take control of their life.