Sometimes I wonder if we haven't managed to get "unhappiness" and "depression" all tangled up together. I think it's fair to say that a mass shooter is not a happy camper. The argument is being made by many thoughtful social analysts that we have gotten in the growing habit of "medicalizing" every emotional experience. For instance, I think we overcategorize every negative experience as "trauma." In that case, who hasn't been traumatized? When a category is broadened to include virtually everyone, it ceases to function as a category.

The Dept. of Veterans' Affairs says that 30% of vets treated at VA medical facilities have been diagnosed with PTSD. They further state, on their website, that over half of all people in the general population are survivors of trauma. That strikes me as expanding the category of trauma to be overly inclusive of experiences that might be better thought of as highly stressful, very disturbing or extremely upsetting. Every negative experience is not "traumatic."