I know something else that could help to explain how Cho Seung-Hu developed into the totally detached cold-blooded killer he was last Monday. Nancy, over on Reactive Attachment Disorder blog is addressing it as well. And on the listserves of those parenting traumatized children, parents are speculating the way the parents of autistic children are speculating…could it be that Cho had attachment disorder?

Hmmm…the evidence isn’t there, yet. So the theory is just that, a theory. But the one big difference between attachment disorder or borderline personality disorder and other sociopathic type diagnoses and autism is that autism may have some of the symptoms, but that deep-seated hatred and cold blooded detachment from relationships can’t be explained by autism alone.

What we don’t have are any facts that would support a Reactive Attachment Disorder diagnosis. That would require a break of some sort from his primary caregiver or some early childhood trauma. There’s little known about his early childhood or his parents at this point. But there are a couple of things that make me wonder, truly wonder if there isn’t a whole lot more to this story and this guy’s childhood. A whole lot more we may NEVER get all the answers on.

The first is a play he wrote where the 13-year-old boy was molested, and ultimately killed by his stepfather. An early report about this play cited the detail that the main character’s mother didn’t believe him. Cho could effectively write fiction about trauma, and about the levels of rage that an abuse victim would feel.

Then, there’s that interview with the great-aunt. The one CNN did where the aunt said he was diagnosed with autism (and CNN has since removed from their report). The great-aunt is also quoted as calling the boy “the idiot”. Hmmm…I don’t think she meant that in an IQ sort of way. After all, he was a student at Virginia Tech. But it does sort of sent a message of what was thought of Cho, at least in that particular family circle.

Something was up with that boy, long before last Monday. Yes, it was a mental illness. But I can’t help but wonder, knowing what I know about traumatized children, if Cho fits that profile. He definitely saw himself as a victim. He definitely was a victim of bullying in high school.

What diagnoses will shake out in the final analysis? And how will that change things for others? Will we ostracize further those with mental illnesses? Or will we push for earlier identification and intervention? Will it further stigmatize those who need help, or actually improve our mental health services?

It will be interesting to see if we Americans use this tragedy to make things better…or allow them to get worse.