Seung-Hui Cho, VirginiaTech Killer -- Social Anxiety?

[Zipper]

Did Cho have social anxiety disorder? Let's look at the evidence:

-- He was depressed.
-- He didn't speak in class.
-- He was lonely.
-- He did not make eye contact with people.
-- He was a loner
-- He wore sun glasses to hide his eyes.
-- He didn't speak to any of his roommates.

Cho was an extremely sad and hate-filled person, perhaps he was also filled with fear? His reluctance to look anyone in the eye reminds me of a symptom of social anxiety.

Fear is closely related to hatred, and many people with social anxiety are also misanthropic. We have seen members of this forum express intense malice for others in posts here -- some have even been kicked off by the moderators.

So, what do you think, did Cho have social anxiety disorder?

 

[maggie]

hey zipper, i was thinking that today too..sounds like he had social anxiety..and lots of other issues

 

[phoenix1]

Yeah probably, but it was alot more than that too. Many of us feel disconnected and angry, but this guy had no empathy at all.

How many of us would actually wear sunglasses in the middle of class and not care what others thought? I always love to wear sunglasses to hide my eyes, but I would be way too embarrassed to wear them in class. When it was his turn to speak for class introductions, he just wouldnt say anything..not feel embarrassed or shy or shaky..he was just so completely disconnected and void of all empathy that he just didnt care what others thought.

The problem with people with social phobia or anxiety is that we care too much about what others think instead of caring too little. The guy just didnt care...he was in a whole different category.

 

[TAMPA-BAY]

.
Well I am certinaly glad someone started this post cause everyone on this site especially in the United States better take notice of all the hysteria going on especially on the news.

WE FIT THEIR STUPID STEREOTYPE and

I have a verry verry bad feeling a which hunt is about to start and we all know who they will be looking at.

What iam trying to say is that out going people also commit crimes.

Am I making any sense?

 

[carebear]

i'm not sure. i think maybe he had social anxiety with schizoprenia, depression and a lot of other stuff too.
Its really wierd for me being in school and all because I have some of his same mannerisms, and I don't want people to go around assuming that I am some killer or something. Its starting to make me more paranoid about my own actions..like I start wondering if I should try and smile and maintain eye contact more because "this guy" didn't and look what happened...
:roll:

 

[charlieHungerford]

This guy had real problems, he was a wicked evil individual who had violent fantasies and revenge.

Just because he was quiet and a loner doesn't mean he had to have SA. It seemed like he hated people, he cared nothing for anyone, he was just one very disturbed individual, hence his behaviour.

I just feel so sad when I see the pictures of all his victims, they had their whole lives ahead of them, and this one wicked individual deprived them of their one and only life.

Its things like this that make me even more determined to overcome SA and live life to the full!

 

[lawyerguy]

Hi all,

I haven't posed in a million years but I thought i'd do a post now. I"m an asian guy who is socially awkward and since the shootings..I'm scared that other people think I"m a crazy shooter like this guy!!

I tend not to make eye conact either. ALthough I do say hi. I just hope the media doesn't stereotype all shy people..especially shy asian guys as crazy loners who will go off in a second. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Most of us are gentle souls who wouldn't harm a fly. This killer from Virginia was living in his own crazy world.

 

[Power_Bog]

No, the guy was plainly psychotic.

Using the old skool nomenclature: neuroses = you know that you're crazy, psychosis = you don't know that you're crazy.

SA'ers, at least most of them, know on some level that their symptoms are irrational yet they feel compelled to do it anyway -- classic neuroses. I don't see any indication of that in this guy, just persecution complex and sociopathy. That and the killing spree, not really an SA symptom

 

[BornAgain]

i'm not sure. i think maybe he had social anxiety with schizoprenia, depression and a lot of other stuff too.
Its really wierd for me being in school and all because I have some of his same mannerisms, and I don't want people to go around assuming that I am some killer or something. Its starting to make me more paranoid about my own actions..like I start wondering if I should try and smile and maintain eye contact more because "this guy" didn't and look what happened...
:roll:

i can relate to you on that.

my parents made alot of connections between me and this psycho peice of shit and told me to be careful with myself, which fucking PISSED ME OFF! Being compared to this weirdo.......I'm not even like this guy and I was normal not even a year ago, just the fact that the news reported that he doesn't make eye contact made my parents look at me in a different light, just because I don't like to make eye contact with them. This just ruined my day and I hope my parents forget about comparing me to this jerk.

in the news it said that one of his professors immediately assumed he was disturbed. I hope that my professors don't assume this of me, it's not even fair if profs. are going to be judging people like this off the bat. Shit, if I knew or felt that people were saying or thinking that I was a psycho, it would really piss me off. I'm not justifying this freaks actions at all, but what I guess I'm kind of trying to say is that part of the reason kids end up like this is because they kind of have to fill the role that is given to them, and it's really hard to opt out of it. Sharp judgments like this are really detrimental to the educational process, and in my opinion, is not exactly an professional practice. I understand this particular professors concern for this guy's behaviors; such as not talking, even when spoken to, whispering to himself, and other such behaviors; but I'm just wary that, especially since this happened, all professors are going to be on the lookout for anyone who isn't a complete extrovert.

I've already noticed that professors make significantly less eye contact with me than with the other students, and I don't know if this is just all in my mind or if it is because of this murderer. I have to admit though, when I was normal, every time I saw some kid who didn't talk and/or seemed or looked evil, I always dubbed a kid like that "columbine kid"; and now, if my former self were to look at me now, it would laugh right in my face.

I guess I'm kind of ranting here, but I hope I at least got some kind of point across!

 

[Zipper]

I agree that Cho was likely schizophrenic or psychotic. His videos showed that he had a severe detachment from reality. He might have been a psychopath -- lack of empathy, lack of sympathy or concern for the feelings of others. This man had a lot of serious problems, and if he had an anxiety disorder, this would be the least of his problems.

I feel bad for his mother -- I doubt an hour will pass in his life that she won't think about Mr. Cho.

 

[Zipper]

my parents made alot of connections between me and this psycho peice of shit and told me to be careful with myself. just the fact that the news reported that he doesn't make eye contact made my parents look at me in a different light, just because I don't like to make eye contact with them. This just ruined my day and I hope my parents forget about comparing me to this jerk.

I'm so sorry that your parents had to burden you with these kinds of comparisons. I would recommend that you talk to them and mention to them how scared and sad it makes you to hear them say this to you. Tell them how much their support means to you, and how much you wish to recover and to have their full support.

 

[SocialRetahd]

Some of the younger kids at my university were making fun of me today about this incident. They were saying I had a gun under the desk and not to shoot them until they lived some life. I still can't sleep because of this.

 

[Y]

How do you guys know how he was in class? Is there a video of him taped while he was in class??? Id love to see that.

And im also afraid that this event may cause people to stereotype all shy people as killers. Like this idiot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f0GnheHvsY

 

[Shonen_Yo]

That guy was more of a sociopath, really.

Idon'tthink it's timeto kill all shy people people yet.

 

[Foxglove]

I've noticed that whenever something like this happens, the first thing that is said about the person is that they were/are a loner. Ah ha -- I'm a loner, does that make me a potential psychopath?

 

[maggie]

Some of the younger kids at my university were making fun of me today about this incident. They were saying I had a gun under the desk and not to shoot them until they lived some life. I still can't sleep because of this.

what an unbelievably stupid, insensitive, disrespectful, shitty thing for them to say to you...what the hell is wrong with people? :roll:

 

[BornAgain]

my parents made alot of connections between me and this psycho peice of shit and told me to be careful with myself. just the fact that the news reported that he doesn't make eye contact made my parents look at me in a different light, just because I don't like to make eye contact with them. This just ruined my day and I hope my parents forget about comparing me to this jerk.

I'm so sorry that your parents had to burden you with these kinds of comparisons. I would recommend that you talk to them and mention to them how scared and sad it makes you to hear them say this to you. Tell them how much their support means to you, and how much you wish to recover and to have their full support.

Hearing these comparisons from them pissed me off, alot. First of all, I hate that fact that I have a "condition" in the first place, and when people mention it, it pisses me off because I want to forget that I'm like this so I could just get better. Anger problems kind of run in my family, so I guess that's why I get angry so easily. Instead of feeling bad, sad, or depressed, I get angry because in a way, it feels better and there are faster ways to cope with it. If you're sad or depressed, coping with it takes much more time and it's harder. However, if you're angry, you can break things, yell, scream, smoke a cigarette, smoke some weed, play a video game, and many other things (not saying I do these all). But, anyways, wouldn't anyone be pissed off if they are compared with a psychopathic asian murderer?

Thanks for your advice, it really means alot to me. Do you think I should go to a counselor about my attitude and anger problems, or do you think I can just resolve it myself?

 

[Zipper]

Do you think I should go to a counselor about my attitude and anger problems, or do you think I can just resolve it myself?

I would say definitely get help if you can -- it is always easier to deal with things with the help of others rather than solve problems in our heads alone. You didn't teach yourself to walk all by yourself, so why would you try to teach yourself anger management and conflict resolution all by yourself? Getting help can begin with talking to your parents about your problems. Parents, friends, relatives.

If it's possible, I would see a professional as well. It is my intention to "be in therapy" for the rest of my life. Why not? There are always issues in a person's life that can be fruitfully addressed with the help of others.

 

[4seasons]

my parents made alot of connections between me and this psycho peice of shit and told me to be careful with myself. just the fact that the news reported that he doesn't make eye contact made my parents look at me in a different light, just because I don't like to make eye contact with them. This just ruined my day and I hope my parents forget about comparing me to this jerk.

I'm so sorry that your parents had to burden you with these kinds of comparisons. I would recommend that you talk to them and mention to them how scared and sad it makes you to hear them say this to you. Tell them how much their support means to you, and how much you wish to recover and to have their full support.

Hearing these comparisons from them pissed me off, alot. First of all, I hate that fact that I have a "condition" in the first place, and when people mention it, it pisses me off because I want to forget that I'm like this so I could just get better. Anger problems kind of run in my family, so I guess that's why I get angry so easily. Instead of feeling bad, sad, or depressed, I get angry because in a way, it feels better and there are faster ways to cope with it. If you're sad or depressed, coping with it takes much more time and it's harder. However, if you're angry, you can break things, yell, scream, smoke a cigarette, smoke some weed, play a video game, and many other things (not saying I do these all). But, anyways, wouldn't anyone be pissed off if they are compared with a psychopathic asian murderer?

Thanks for your advice, it really means alot to me. Do you think I should go to a counselor about my attitude and anger problems, or do you think I can just resolve it myself?

Smoking weed makes everything 100 times worse for me....i cant be in the same room as people when im high.

 

[Zipper]

this isnt really anything to do with the post but OMG zipper, that picture is so cute!!! its put a smile on my face !!!

This kid is adorable, isn't he? I found the image on Google image search, and the child is a kid from Berkeley, California, USA. His parents put up tons of his photos, and they are all cuter than the next.

Here he is with his mother and little brother:

His web page is here:

http://alan.levien.com/

Little kids aren't afraid of embarassment. They aren't afraid of humiliation or making mistakes. They don't believe in "divine vengeance," shame or honor. They are just optimistic about what the world is going to do to them, and that's why they're so happy. But this family seems to be exceptionally happy.