nestork wrote in :

I'm one person who questions the notion that anyone who takes a gun and
kills a whole bunch of people, is, by definition, mentally ill.

The guy that shot up the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado was a PhD
student for crying out loud. He certainly had enough gray stuff between
his ears, and he knew the difference between right and wrong.

High intelligence and mental illness are not mutually exclusive -- just because the guy's
smart, doesn't mean he isn't crazy too.

Doing something horrible does not automatically mean that person is
crazy.

Yes, it does. Sane people don't commit mass murder.

Perfectly level headed people can decide to throw their life
away if they feel their life is so screwed up that it's not salvagable.

Throwing your *own* life away in suicide *may* be a sane, rational decision (though some
may disagree). Taking multiple strangers is NOT sane or rational.

It's a stupid decision, it's desperation, but it's not mental illness.

Suicide isn't, no. Mass murder is.