In hindsight, the signs seem crystal clear: A loner on depression medication writes violent stories and frightens his peers. In the Virginia Tech shootings, as the machinery of blame turns, people are asking whether this could have been recognized and stopped.
But college counselors say that cases like that of Cho Seung-Hui are difficult to identify, even as counselors have seen more and more troubled students in recent years. And even when signs do point to serious problems, counselors say their hands are often tied.