A professor at Indiana University believes that a particular brand of shyness is linked to school shootings.

Dr. Bernardo Carducci studied the records of eight school shooters, including the boys from Columbine High School in 1999. He found that while almost half of the population considers itself shy, all eight school shooters have a particular variety of it. Dr. Carducci calls it "cynical shyness."

While many shy people try to be social and face rejections, those with "cynical shyness" get angry and want retaliation against those who shun them. Once they start moving away from others, he said, "They start to berate them. In a sense, they become a cult of one."

Cynical shyness, which occurs in fewer than 2% of the population, involves a lack of empathy, low frustration tolerance, angry outbursts, peer rejection, and bad family relationships.

Dr. Carducci presented this study at the American Medical Society convention this month in San Francisco.

Labels: aggression, rejection, shyness

Social anxiety is a medical condition in which a person experiences extreme fear over being in social situations. The person may be afraid of meeting new people, or of embarrassing himself in public. Only about one percent of children and adolescents are diagnosed with social anxiety, but many believe the number to be higher as some children are simply considered "shy" and aren't properly diagnosed.

"Social phobia may look different in young people than in adults. While adults recognize the excessiveness of their discomfort, children may not have that understanding... Adolescents may simply avoid group gatherings or describe little interest in friendships."

Social anxiety is treated mainly through counseling and sometimes includes medications. Read more at MassGeneral.org.

Mood disorders describe a range of behavioral issues that may occur in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. Teenage depression and bi-polar disorders can be treated through medication and therapy. Learn more at www.adolescent-mood-disorders.com.

Labels: anxiety, mood_disorders, shyness