The Virginia Tech Massacre

Aradhana Bela Sood, MD, MSHA, is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Senior Professor for Child Mental Health Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. She is also Medical Director of VCU's Virginia Treatment Center for Children.Robert Cohen, PhD, is an independent policy and program development consultant and visiting scholar at Northern Arizona University. Dr. Cohen has been involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of children's mental health and youth violence prevention policy and programs from a comprehensive, systems-based ecological perspective for the past 45 years.

• Part I Lessons from VA Tech ; Chapter 1 The Tragedy at Virginia Tech ; Aradhana Bela Sood ; Chapter 2 How Could This Have Happened? ; Hollis Stambaugh and Aradhana Bela Sood ; Chapter 3 Insights from Interviews and Other First-Hand Accounts ; Aradhana Bela Sood and Hollis Stambaugh ; Chapter 4 Getting Behind the Mind of the Killer: What Made Him Do It? A Child Psychiatrist's Perspective ; Aradhana Bela Sood ; Part II Mental Healthcare on Campus ; Chapter 5 Failures in Campus Mental Health Systems: Lessons from Virginia Tech ; Aradhana Bela Sood and Adele Martel ; Chapter 6 Best Practices and Resources: National Models for College Student Mental Health ; Adele Martel and Aradhana Bela Sood ; Chapter 7 Predicting Violence in Public Places ; Cheryl S. Al-Mateen, Sala S. Webb, and Aradhana Bela Sood ; Part III The Mental Healthcare System in the United States ; Chapter 8 Mental Health Services in the United States: Pre and Post Virginia Tech ; Aradhana Bela Sood and Robert Cohen ; Chapter 9 Global Perspectives on Mental Health Care ; Robert Cohen and Aradhana Bela Sood ; Chapter 10 Toward More Responsive Systems of Care: Challenges and Strategies ; Robert Cohen and Aradhana Bela Sood ; Conclusion: Closing Thoughts ; Aradhana Bela Sood

With ongoing political, cultural, and ethical discussions both locally and nationally around issues of gun control, freedom of speech, privacy, and an ongoing urgent need to combat stigma of mental illness, this book holds a unique place in the dialogue- offering more insight and evidence for our collective consideration. Dr. Sood's window to this event is unique, and while she uses research to support her assertions, her ability to use this event through which to propose more detailed intervention and preventions is impressive. Readers at all levels of training and career as well as varied disciplines will benefit from this book.