Our Health Policy Matters

I was sitting at my desk at Mental Health America when the news broke on Friday afternoon that a fifteen year old student at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington had opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing at least one other student before taking his own life as well. Another fourteen year old who was shot died over the weekend, bringing the death toll to three – all young teenagers. It is hard to know what to make of these kinds of tragedies, because we don’t really understand them.    The shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, was said to be popular and well-liked.  The victims – two of whom remain in critical condition – were his family and friends.  Some form of bullying may have been involved, but no one had any reason to believe that when he walked into school on Friday he intended anyone harm. In recent years, shootings – whether or not they are related to a mental illness in the shooter (and most frequently they are not) – have shone a bright light on how po