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Lessons From Virginia Tech Enhance Response to Illinois Shootings

The Illinois Division of Mental Health takes the lead in the mental health response to shootings on the Northern Illinois University campus.

The setting and the news are all too familiar—a college classroom, a satchel full of guns, a young man with an uncertain history of mental illness.

This time, the place was Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Ill. On February 14, Steven Kazmierczak, a university graduate, returned to campus, walked into a full lecture hall near the end of an oceanography class, and opened fire, killing five and wounding 16 before committing suicide.

The response to the event evidenced the equally familiar lessons learned from the tragedy almost a year ago at Virginia Tech. The police at NIU arrived at Cole Hall within two minutes. Within hours, a massive effort began to help students, parents, faculty, and community members deal with the mental health sequelae of the tragedy. An evening memorial service on Sunday, February 24, served to bring the campus community together before classes resumed the next day.

The Illinois Psychiatric Society (IPS) expressed its sympathies to the families, friends, and peers of the victims.

"Our immediate concerns rest with those who have been affected by the trauma, injuries, and deaths in Illinois," said Lisa Rone, M.D., of Chicago, secretary of the IPS, in a statement. "As psychiatrists, we are concerned that this tragedy may cause significant distress and pose a potential threat to the mental health of those involved. It is important for everyone to know that help is available and treatment does work."

The Illinois Division of Mental Health coordinated the emergency response to the shooting, beginning with a statewide appeal for licensed mental health professionals.

"We've been working closely with NIU to mobilize volunteers and provide resources and training on the campus and around the state," said APA member Tanya Anderson, M.D., deputy clinical director of child and adolescent services in the state's Division of Mental Health. That included an e-mail to all members of the Illinois Psychiatric Society. Some volunteer psychiatrists came to the campus, while others offered to take referrals in towns elsewhere in the state.

"When something like this happens close to home, it's like your family has been hit," said Kenneth Busch, M.D., the disaster chair for the district branch. "The IPS will be there to work with our colleagues in the state system. The best thing is to remain on the sidelines until we're asked to take part."

Those sentiments echo the thoughts of their Virginia colleagues last year, who cautioned members to allow those on the scene in Blacksburg to take the lead in responding to the tragedy.

Among the volunteers at NIU was a contingent from Virginia Tech, including Christopher Flynn, Ph.D., director of that school's counseling service.

Eventually, several hundred counselors of every professional stripe responded, attended a Sunday afternoon training session on campus, and were available at the memorial service that evening. They wore red armbands to identify themselves to students and others at the service.

"I have been amazed at how mental health professionals have responded," said Anderson. "We had to turn away some volunteers."

Three hundred counselors remained on campus on Monday and Tuesday, February 25 and 26, as students went back to classes. Counselors were posted in each classroom and all dormitories, according to news reports.

"The feeling here is tentative, but there is not a pervasive sadness," said Anderson, speaking by phone from the NIU campus. "There is a sense of courage and hope and strength, together with the knowledge that help is available."

The memorial service only marks the end of the beginning. The psychological effects of the shooting will play out over a longer time for some of those affected. The Division of Mental Health has set up a hotline and can refer callers affected by the tragedy to community agencies or private practitioners, said Anderson. There also will be a Web site and a toll-free telephone number. Volunteers working with the state will help sort out red tape when students and others run out of insurance money over the next year, she said.

The Northern Illinois University memorial Web site is <www.niu.edu/memorial/index.html>.

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