In Case You Haven't Heard…

The White House has been briefed on a proposal to develop a way to identify early signs of changes in people with mental illness that could lead to violent behavior, The Washington Post reported Aug. 22. Supporters see the plan as a way President Trump could move the ball forward on gun control following recent mass shootings, as efforts seem to be flagging to impose harsher restrictions like background checks on gun purchases. The proposal is part of a larger initiative to establish a new agency called the Health Advanced Research Projects Agency, or HARPA, which would sit inside the Health and Human Services Department. HARPA would develop “breakthrough technologies with high specificity and sensitivity for early diagnosis of neuropsychiatric violence,” says a copy of the proposal. “A multi‐modality solution, along with real‐time data analytics, is needed to achieve such an accurate diagnosis.” Those familiar with the project stressed it would not collect sensitive health data about individuals without their permission. The government is simply trying to identify risk factors when it comes to mental health that could indicate violent behavior, they said.