Some mornings you cannot be clever. SSM went silent yesterday and suggested we pray. This summary from the Herald says where we are now:
In Newtown, a small and picturesque New England community about 95 kilometers northeast of New York City, hundreds of people packed St. Rose of Lima church and stood outside in a vigil for the 28 dead 20 children and six adults at the school, the gunman’s mother at home, and the gunman himself.
Just 10 days before Christmas Eve, people held hands, lit candles and sang “Silent Night.”
“People in my neighborhood are feeling guilty about it being Christmas. They are taking down decorations,” said Jeannie Pasacreta, a psychologist who was advising parents on how to talk to their children.
Connecticut state police Lt. Paul Vance told reporters Saturday that investigators had found “very good evidence” and hoped it would answer questions about the gunman’s motives. Vance would not elaborate.
However, another law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that investigators had found no note or manifesto of the sort they have come to expect after murderous rampages.
Just one person, a woman who worked at the school, was shot and survived an unusually small number in a mass shooting and Vance said her comments would be “instrumental”.
Investigators had not found evidence after talking with state gun dealers and gun ranges that the gunman trained for the attack or was an active member of the recreational gun community, US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spokeswoman Ginger Colbrun said.
Lanza is believed to have suffered from a personality disorder and lived with his mother, said a law enforcement official who was briefed on the investigation.
Lanza shot his mother, Nancy Lanza, drove to the school in her car and shot up two classrooms Friday morning, law enforcement officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
I always find it interesting when people call in psychologists when these events occur. There is very little to no evidence that they make any difference.
Single session individual debriefing did not reduce psychological distress nor prevent the onset of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those who received the intervention showed no significant short term (3-5 months) in the risk of PTSD (odds ratio 1.22 (95% ci 0.60 to 2.46 )). At one year one trial reported that there was a significantly increased risk of PTSD in those receiving debriefing (odds ratio 2.88 (1.11 to 7.53))odds ratio 95%). There was also no evidence that debriefing reduced general psychological morbidity, depression or anxiety.
What worries me is that people are taking down decorations. Yes what happened is tragic. Yes, it hurts, But the traditions of this time and this season also are important. When you turn to the reading for today it is not one that talks about rejoicing in some bubble where nothing bad can happen, but in the middle of turmoil, loss and war.
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We are not supposed to ignore this. We are supposed to pray. And we need, for the sake of the children, to keep the routine of the year and the rituals of this time going. Santa better visit Newtown — and I don’t like Santa and the commercialization of this time. Bring the grief with you, but let the usual things allow you to heal.
Being practical and plodding through things has a certain virtue.
(And, as an aside, the NZ and UK Press who think that this may lead to guns being banned forget the way the US constitution is written with freedom of speech and a deliberate choice to have an armed populace. This is a tragedgy. If he had a personality disorder, it will be interesteing to find out what was being done for this and if there was a risk assessment — which is what UK and NZ psychiatrists would be worried about after a smaller event).
So Let’s pray for the families and the children. And remember that this happens in poorer areas as well — in Darfur, in Southern Sudan, in Nigeria and in Russia. And then let us continue in Advent, remembering those who mourn and have losses.