Social Withdrawal and Violence — Newtown, Connecticut

Abstract

This article discusses the prevalence of social withdrawal and violence in Connecticut, United States. In the aftermath of the great tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, the mental health community is responding to our own and others’ desperation to understand why this event occurred and is advocating for strategies that might prevent similar events in the future. An important dimension that has been less discussed is the question of social withdrawal and isolation, within and beyond the confines of mental illness. For the withdrawn and isolated and the angry and alienated, there are deep seated barriers to care, and there may exist a small subgroup that is uniquely vulnerable to the seductive power of violence in our culture. The pathway to mass murder is inexplicably complex, involving a confluence of factors that come together only rarely. Withdrawn and isolative behavior is of interest to the medical community for reasons beyond its association with people who have committed school shootings. Withdrawn and isolative behavior usually goes undetected or unaddressed until impairment is obvious, at its extreme, it can manifest in a shocking murder and suicide. This behavioral dimension actually includes a variety of behaviors and developmental trajectories that have varied and important implications and outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)