Mental illness is behind most of the gunmen involved in mass shootings. These gunmen were ridiculed and bullied, leading to depression and anxiety. These emotions in a man are seen as a weakness, which degrades his masculinity. It is much more socially acceptable for a woman suffering from depression to seek treatment than it is for a man. A woman can learn to overcome mental illness because she is encouraged to undergo therapy. A man may think that treatment for a mental illness will make him less authoritative and he will turn to the only thing he knows: guns. Boys are raised to think that a man with a gun is masculine. A male teenager who has been called homophobic his whole life for not living up to these standards turns to guns to prove his worth. Boys and men use violence to overcome the shame associated with not being respected by their parents