What long-term mental health treatment methods are available for fellow students and teachers in schools affected by mass shootings? Should there be psychologists available in school districts who specialize in trauma, PTSD, and grief counseling? Many questions are asked following a school shooting, but the questions many of us should be asking are the ones mentioned above. In the first 21 weeks of 2018 alone, 23 school shootings have already occurred, averaging one shooting per week. School shootings have increased dramatically in recent years. They've gotten to the point where they're not putting it on the news as frequently as it occurs. This has become an epidemic in our communities. Society has deemed this normal because of how often it seems to happen now. Negligence in preventing school shootings has caused them to happen more frequently today. This will continue if we do not take preventative measures to stop it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What we have seen in students and teachers, in the months following mass shootings, as it relates to their behavior and how they cope with going to school in the same place where this horrible thing happened. In the 2000s, school shootings became a normal occurrence in our society. “Mass shootings are common in this country. According to the Gun Violence Archive, an oft-cited nonprofit that tracks shootings, there were more than 200 mass shootings in the first seven months of this year.” In 1999, the worst school shooting ever, called the Columbine Highschool massacre, had occurred. Two boys named Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out an elaborate plan to bomb their school but when that failed they started shooting. Journals left by the two told investigators that "the teenagers had been planning for a year to bomb the school in an attack similar to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing." By eleven in the morning they had shot twelve students and a teacher and injured twenty people. This brought awareness to gun control, school safety and other underlying issues. The shooting also left a negative impact, influencing other kids to vent their frustrations through the same actions. After Columbine through 2016, there were twenty mass school assassination attempts. On March 20, 2018, an armed student shot two children at Great Mills High School in Maryland, the shooter was later killed. Situations like these are no longer broadcast on the news because they are frequent in our society. If we let these problems go unnoticed, school shootings will become something the next generation will consider normal. How can we implement aftercare for students and teachers so that parents don't have to spend extra money on therapy and counseling? . People debate whether this is a case of mental illness or gun control in our nation. In any case, as the matter progresses, we should help raise awareness for both. According to Psychology Today, “If the issue is the rise of psychological disorders in our nation, then we need to support programs in psychology and mental health.” This means that if this is truly a mental health problem we should invest more time or money in researching ithelp provide better care to those in need. There are 24-hour hotlines for anyone feeling depressed, says Psych Guide "there are many ways to find help, including calling a depression hotline for information about treatment centers and 12-step programs." Calling a hotline not only gives you someone who is there for you, but also gives you advice on how to deal with the situation. Bullying can also lead to depression or anger, which could cause someone to carry a weapon. Statistics show that “An estimated 200,000 victims of bullying bring weapons to school over the course of a month, according to the authors' analysis of data from the Centers for Victims' 2011 Youth Risk Surveillance Survey. illnesses". Bullying in schools has been a problem in our country for a long time. Students can't find help or refuse to talk to anyone about what they're going through. People have noticed the connection between bullying and school shootings “For years, anti-bullying groups have drawn a connection between bullying and school shootings” (Julia “Shocking Numbers of Teens Bring Guns to School. Here's One Reason so."). This should be enough for our communities to shine a light on these topics if it means the more people are bullied the more lives are in danger. As for gun control since the Parkland school shooting in February 2018 that killed at least 17 people, they have been protesting non-stop for gun control. Fifty new gun laws were enacted after the Parkland shooting. “This has been a year of unprecedented success for the gun control movement in the United States. States across the country, including 14 with Republican governors, have enacted 50 new laws restricting access to guns, ranging from banning gun stockpiles to allowing authorities to temporarily disarm potentially violent people” (Matt “ Huffington”). This caused people to start taking action to prevent another one. These shootings have left families devastated and citizens worried about the future. According to the reporter, "Florida enacted a law in March that expanded background checks, banned stockpiles, allowed local authorities to temporarily restrict access to "red flag" gun owners and added a waiting period three days to purchase a gun." The shooting left a devastating effect on the country, but it made us realize that we need a change in safety regulations for our country. The school also implemented safety precautions in case of an attack in the school "The millions born after Columbine in 1999, who have practiced "code red" exercises in school all their lives...". People are starting to speak out about this issue, but the number of school shootings and attempted school shootings continues to increase. On March 24, 2018, adults and children took to the streets to march for gun control. Those who were marching staged school sit-ins to support the cause. Over 800 marches took place across the United States on this day. Preventing school shootings is still a work in progress, but there are many actions underway to help. People are coming together to put an end to the shooting, our community is realizing how bad and out of control the situation is becoming. How can we prevent the occurrence of future attacks from a psychological point of view. Strong anti-bullying campaigns, better care for students, and better training for teachers on how to address problems as soon as they can.