We live a familiar life and do not think about the fact that our relative, friend, neighbor, colleague can shoot several people who are completely unfamiliar to him, and then commit suicide. Because the stories of Nizhny Novgorod, «school» and shooters are always shocking, especially relatives. What can lead to tragedy and whether we are able to prevent it, we understand together with psychiatrist Mikhail Bazhmin.
On October 12, a tragedy occurred in the Nizhny Novgorod region. 18-year-old Danil Monakhov quarreled with his grandmother, shot her with a hunting rifle, and then went out into the street and shot people he did not know. Three people died, three are in hospital in serious condition. The teen escaped and committed suicide.
What prompted him to commit the crime?
“I can’t make diagnoses, but I have suggestions about what led to this tragedy,” says psychiatrist Mikhail Bazhmin. — Perhaps Danil planned the crime in advance: it is known that he was fond of weapons, the history of Columbine. At the same time, they say that he was withdrawn, lonely, studied so-so and lived in his own world. I can assume he has autistic traits, which are often harbingers of schizophrenia.
We need to wait for the results of the examination, but I think there is a high probability that relatives will tell about some of his strange and non-standard statements. Perhaps symptoms of psychosis will surface. Given his addiction to the computer, maybe he was in some kind of extremist Internet community. But still, mental illness seems like a more likely option to me.”
Why is this happening
The mass murder in the Nizhny Novgorod region is a huge tragedy. Reading the news, it’s impossible not to wonder: what drives people to commit mass murder anyway?
mental illness
“There are many reasons why a person may decide to commit mass murder. The simplest, most obvious option is a severe psychiatric illness, explains Mikhail Bazhmin. — For example, a person hears voices in his head and they order him to perform this or that action. When the disease first appears, patients are unable to resist these voices. And at some point, voices can order to jump off the roof or kill the family …
Over time, after 20-30 years of living with the disease, people get used to the voices and learn to resist them, but at first it is almost impossible to resist them. Another option is antisocial personality disorder, in which a person is not able to experience affection, love, shame, guilt. He is not familiar with these concepts. He only understands the language of power.»
But some people do not suffer from obvious disorders and therefore do not come to the attention of psychiatrists and psychologists. However, they are also capable of mass murder, the psychiatrist claims. This happens, for example, when a person is driven to despair, ready for protest actions, and at the same time there is a narcissistic, antisocial grain in him. In ordinary life, this is not visible, but in moments of severe stress, it can “explode”. Such people are called «excitable circle psychopaths.»
Drugs and manipulators
In addition, drugs can play a role, under the influence of which the personality also changes.
Personality — character, system of views and values - is formed by the age of 25-30, explains Mikhail Bazhmin. Therefore, at 13, 15, and even at 18, we cannot speak of maturity. It is easy to influence teenagers; sects and gangs use their suggestibility. They give young people a sense of belonging to something greater. And sometimes they use them for their own purposes.
Game addiction
It is known that the Nizhny Novgorod shooter was a fan of computer games. Perhaps it was they who influenced him in a negative way?
“There is an opinion: computer games create the feeling that death is something temporary. That after it there will still be another attempt, another level. But studies do not confirm that RPGs or other “shooters” push players to kill, unless, of course, we are talking about an extremist Internet community, ”the expert explains.
Why kill yourself?
Often, massacres, as in modern history, end in the suicide of the killer. What makes him take his own life?
“In each case, there is a reason. People who commit mass murder in the name of ideals can commit suicide at the height of passion. This is the so-called «post-stress killer disorder.» It is connected with the fact that depriving a person of life is stressful for the one who committed it. He may develop PTSD, which increases the risk of suicide, says Mikhail Bazhmin. — If the offender is sick, he can take his own life under the influence of delirium.
There is also such a thing as “impulsive suicide”. The man suddenly realizes what he has done and decides that he should not live. Or he kills himself out of fear that he will be avenged for what he has done.
Killers among us?
Can we figure out the killer if the violation, failure is not always noticeable? Is everyone capable of committing mass murder? After all, if this is so, it turns out that we will always have to be on our guard.
“Everyone has acquaintances who, in a state of intoxication or by virtue of their nature, are capable of violence,” the expert explains. “Potentially, they are capable of committing a crime, but this does not mean that they will definitely commit it. As a rule, there are certain prerequisites for this. In addition, people who are more dependent on the norms and rules adopted in society are less likely to commit a crime. Religious prohibitions are also strong, if we are not talking about fanatics.
If we study the history of mass killings, we will notice that more often they are committed by men, not women. What is the reason for this overbalance? “Men are usually more aggressive than women – this is a gift of evolution. Of course, social norms alleviate this, but the areas of the brain inherited from ancestors sometimes take over,” says Mikhail Bazhmin.
«In a state of passion»
Some crimes, and massacres in particular, are sometimes committed in this state, there is even such a term. What does it mean?
“In world judicial practice, the concept of “murder in the heat of passion” is not used. We are all constantly in a state of some kind of affect. It can be depressive, and euthymic (that is, neutral), and dysphoric, anxious, the expert explains. “But in the context of a massacre, we are rather talking about a state of unbearable stress that completely fills a person’s consciousness. As a result, he loses touch with reality, with the personality, with the past and commits acts in which he is not aware of. Then he comes to his senses and realizes what he did. But in a moment of stress, a person can drop any inhibitions.
What can be done to prevent similar tragedies in the future? At a minimum, be attentive to your loved ones, friends, relatives. Often after such events, witnesses who are familiar with the killer say that they knew about his plans, but did not take them seriously. Or that they noticed an unstable mental state, oddities in his behavior, but decided that everything would go away on its own. Ignoring such signs means risking other people’s lives. Asking for help in time means saving lives and taking care of the health of someone who, perhaps, is no longer capable of doing it himself.