Mental Illness

Mental illness is not a new phrase but it is one that has been in the news and on the lips of many people since school shootings began. The most recent tragedy in Broward County, in Fort Lauderdale, has intensified the use of this phrase. The horror associated with the murders of the young high school students and staff cannot be expressed enough; this two-word phrase only begins to describe the tragedy.

Mental illness, however, is a general phrase associated with a range of psychological diagnoses. So when the news media or friends describe a school murderer as mentally ill, we really don't k...