( CNN ) -- A new report said that `` Super Mario Brothers '' was a favorite video game of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza . He had no history of violent behavior . But he was interested in mass murderers . Nearly a year since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School where Lanza killed 26 people , Connecticut 's state attorney office released its official report that tried to piece together what happened . The investigation provided some insights into the life and actions of the gunman , but his motive remains a mystery . The report suggests that improving the delivery of mental health care to those with chronic mental illness may be an important element in reducing certain acts of violence , and that mass shooters are not `` enthralled '' with violent video games . Lanza was a young man with clear mental health issues . He appears to have been isolated , even communicating with his mother mainly through e-mail despite their living in the same house . It seems he had some obsessive-compulsive qualities related to food preferences , dislike of loud noises or being touched , and a disdain for holidays and birthdays . Lanza 's issues with social communication and problems with crowds worsened in later years . He was also diagnosed with Asperger 's syndrome . The report notes he declined to take any medications or participate in behavioral therapy . However , it makes no mention of him being aggressive or violent before the shooting . The report does suggest he had an interest in things related to death and mass shootings . Lanza had a spreadsheet of mass murderers . He also had literature related to pedophilia -- but no child pornography . From all of this information it 's hard to draw any conclusion . But it 's fair to say that chronic mental health issues are common among mass shooters , including Lanza . On the other hand , it 's important to note that most individuals with chronic mental illness are not violent . Nor is Asperger 's syndrome linked to violence . The tragedy at Sandy Hook may represent a missed opportunity to have a frank discussion about our inadequate mental health system . Other than a few nods to the issue we did n't have that discussion . Mainly , we talked about gun control and video games . This is too bad . While it 's certainly true that most mentally ill people are nonviolent , research also suggests that chronic mental health issues such as psychosis or depression are risk factors for violence , particularly when mixed with chronic anger . We must do more to take away the stigma associated with mental illness . Yet pretending no relationship exists between mental health issues and some acts of violence may backfire by reducing our sense of urgency in improving the mental health care system . As for the issue of video games , the Sandy Hook shooting set off a year 's worth of speculation about the harm violent video games may or may not do and whether they are a threat to society . The report , in the end , had relatively little to say about video games and did not link them to the shooting . For example , much like any 20-year-old , Lanza played an assortment of both violent and nonviolent games . But it turns out that he was fond of games that were nonviolent , particularly `` Super Mario Brothers '' and `` Dance Dance Revolution . '' Despite speculation and efforts by some politicians such as Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Frank Wolf to tie mass shootings to violent video games , Lanza 's video game playing was unremarkable . Once again we are reminded of our society 's eagerness to assign blame quickly even if evidence suggests otherwise . For example , the youth violence rate has actually declined by nearly 90 % during the video game era . That statistic is one reason why policymakers should not rush forward with regulations before we get the full picture . In the end , we may simply never know why Lanza did what he did other than that he was a disturbed , angry young man who made the choice to do something horrible . Perhaps it is time to stop looking for external explanations for his behavior and acknowledge that this catastrophic choice was his and his alone . As we approach the one-year anniversary of the shooting , our thoughts and prayers will be going out to the families of the victims of Sandy Hook . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Christopher J. Ferguson .
Connecticut has released official report on the tragic shooting at Adam Lanza . Adam Lanza : The motive of gunman Christopher Ferguson remains a mystery . He says we need to improve the delivery of care to the chronically mentally ill. Ferguson : CNN 's video game playing was unremarkable , not tied to violent games .