Psychology's response to Sandy Hook School Shooting: APA's next steps
3 Jan 2013
The American Psychological Association APA grappling with question how next mass shooting can be prevented.
Message from Norman B. Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of the APA
Like so many Americans, APA members were horrified by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As psychologists, we were saddened to be confronted once again with the negative effects of our nation’s fragmented and under-resourced mental health system.
Immediately after the shootings, you heard from our communications office about the steps APA took to lend the expertise of our discipline to a community and a nation reeling with grief. These included providing APA experts to local, national and international media; delivering information about trauma and recovery to the public via the APA website and social media platforms; and supporting the APA/American Red Cross Disaster Response Network volunteers in Connecticut who responded to the Newtown community.
I am writing today to share with all APA members what the association plans to do next in response to this national tragedy.
We are all grappling with the question of how the next mass shooting can be prevented. Our discipline has a critical role to play in finding that solution or combination of solutions.
I have assembled a central office strategic response team to focus on an issue psychology can uniquely address: the prediction and prevention of violence. That team will work with a small number of APA members with expertise in violence assessment and prevention. Together, staff and expert members will plan the association’s next steps concerning our communications and advocacy on violence prevention.
This work will undoubtedly touch on additional issues, including the inadequacy of our current mental health care system; the stigma associated with mental illness; and the need for more mental health professionals, as well as appropriately trained police, justice system officials and other public safety professionals.
The goal will be to share the best available science with policymakers, the news media, other health professionals, community leaders and the public. The work will include four components:
- Outreach to the Obama administration;
- Communications to Congress, including tracking and influencing bills that are proposed in response to the shooting;
- Information sharing with the news media and other public education activities; and
- Keeping APA members informed of these on-going activities.
While there are limits to the answers we have, psychological science has much to say about predicting and preventing violence. Myth-busting will be an important component of our communications plan. We will also call for more cross-disciplinary and complex analyses of the antecedents of violent behavior. We will use our well-established federal advocacy program to share information with legislators and call for additional funding for behavioral research.
News reports are suggesting a link between Adam Lanza’s playing violent video games and his murderous rampage. While we may never know what motivated Lanza — it was probably a complex set of factors — APA is in the process (work begun before the Sandy Hook shooting) of reviewing its 2005 policy on violent video games to consider research published since the policy was adopted.
My hope is that psychology can help the nation turn our heartbreak over Newtown, Aurora, Tucson and other mass shootings into science-based solutions. APA, with the assistance of our members in their roles as researchers, practitioners, disaster response volunteers, media spokespersons and advisors to public officials and policy groups, is actively engaged in finding those solutions.
Sincerely,
Norman B. Anderson, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
The American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
