Fort Hood Motive Terrorism or Mental Illness?

Accused Fort Hood gunman Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, inset.

(ABC News Photo Illustration)

Mental Illness, Murder and Religion Are Complex Meld

"I think it would be a mistake for people to theorize [he did this] because he is an adherent of this or that religious faith," said Dinwiddie, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago. "The mental illness comes first, then flowing from that is the adoption of perhaps, unusual, religious beliefs."

Afkhami also wondered if the public will place too much emphasis on Hasan's religion. Based on Afkhami's experience lecturing and working with the military, and plain common sense, it follows that few, if any, of those who oppose the war have turned to radical acts such as a shooting rampage.

"We're missing a core underlying issue, there are tons of religious folks who are morally opposed to the war on some level who are still serving in the military and get things done," said Afkhami.

Rather, Afkhami is convinced that a combination of stressors in Hasan's life -- especially in his role as a military psychiatrist -- could have led him to a breakdown.

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"They have very large patient loads more and more veterans are coming back with psychiatric illnesses," said Afkhami, who works with the military as a lecturer in the Leader Development and Education for Sustained Peace program. "Out of all the medical doctors, psychiatrists are bearing the brunt of war casualties."

Was Being a Military Psychiatrist Too Much?

Afkhami guessed that adding the stress of hearing war stories from returned soldiers "to the mix of someone who has a feeling of being persecuted in the military because of his background -- whether he had a real perception or a false one -- and this imminent deployment," might be enough to turn someone with a psychiatric problem into a murder.

Ragan knows all too well that military psychiatrists can be under a lot of pressure and hear some horrible things. As a military psychiatrist at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina he and two other colleagues were assigned to 43,000 people.

"I was on call every third night for three years," said Ragan, adding that the long hours aren't the worst of it. Talking to soldiers who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from combat can be quite chilling.

"The horrors of war of what they told me over the years would curl the hair on a bald man's head," said Ragan, "although you should have the training to deal with this."