On Dec. 14, 2012, Adam Lanza killed 28 individuals, including school children and teachers, before taking his own life at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in one of the deadliest mass shootings that this country has ever witnessed. The Child Advocate of Connecticut, the state agency that was charged with investigating the incident, reported that Lanza had been suffering from mental health issues throughout his educational career but had received “minimal” supports from his various schools to address such issues. The Child Advocate concluded that this failure amounted to a “lapse” in the education system’s response to Lanza’s needs.
The Sandy Hook tragedy is but one illustration of the mental health epidemic that our nation is facing but has failed to adequately address. Consider the following statistics: More than one in five incarcerated individuals and approximately 70 percent of adjudicated youths suffer from mental health conditions. Furthermore, one-third of adult homelessness is attributed to mental health issues.
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