The sad thing about Cho, is that his problem was well beyond the ability of the school and mental health system had with which to cope. Even though Cho appeared to have been pretty well served by the high school in their special ed program, there were deeper seated problems than just an anxiety disorder.

Could a similar support program in college headed off the massacre? Possibly. But it also may not have. He was destined to have a melt down at some point. The only question was how much collateral damage there would be.

washingtonpost.com

Fairfax County school officials determined that Seung Hui Cho suffered from an anxiety disorder so severe that they put him in special education and devised a plan to help, according to sources familiar with his history, but Virginia Tech was never told of the problem.

The disorder made Cho unable to speak in social settings and was deemed an emotional disability, the sources said. When he stopped getting the help that Fairfax was providing, Cho became even more isolated and suffered severe ridicule during his four years at Virginia Tech, experts suggested. In his senior year, Cho killed 32 students and faculty members and himself in the deadliest shooting by an individual in U.S. history. MORE