What does it say about our society when terms like "road rage," "going postal" and now, "pull a Columbine," are frequently and often flippantly used to refer to incidents in which seemingly ordinary people just snap and violently take their wrath and fury out on others?

Like 15-year-old Andy Williams of Santee, Calif., when he apparently opened fire at his high school earlier this month, killing two and wounding several others. Or the UC Santa Barbara freshman who just last month allegedly went on a homicidal driving spree that left four dead and one critically injured. Or the 18-year-old gunman arrested in yet another school shooting in suburban San Diego.

The questions of "Why here? Why now?" plague these shaken communities. Are people more stressed and full of pent-up frustrations? Are people more impatient or more violent? Are people crueler and less civil to their peers? Does it have to do with guns or lack of family values? Or is it just a crisis promulgated by the media?

"Generally, these situations are complex," theorized Harold Pruett, director of Student Psychological Services, referring to the Santee shooting. "The issue of bullying, of isolation, of non-acceptance has been present in high schools a long time. What's unique, for one, is access to firearms. The other is perhaps students may not have the kind of support they might have had at one time. We don't do a good job of providing young people with alternative ways to deal with anger and frustration."

But he cautioned: "When we listen to the news, it sounds like this is happening all over the place. But it's important to keep in mind that it's still a relatively small number of students who are involved in violence of this kind."

Corinne Peek-Asa, a UCLA epidemiologist who has studied workplace violence over the past 10 years, agrees. Violence in the workplace has followed the same trend as violent crime in general, she said, dropping from 1,200 incidents annually in the early '90s to around 800 currently. But crime rate prime indicators being watched by the FBI show an upward trend may be building, she added.

While the number of cases where someone opens fire in a school or workplace is relatively small, the fact that it does happen, and in communities where people think, "It could never happen here," means that it can't be ignored, even on a campus like UCLA.

While the odds that UCLA employees and students will go on a rampage are remote, it doesn't mean that people are not troubled, workers don't face stress or threats, and students do not feel angst and alienation, all problems that should be addressed, psychologists emphasize.

Fortunately, the university is equipped with many support systems to help those who are troubled or fear for their safety, and to teach others to identify warning signs of a co-worker or student on the edge.

"Businesses have to have open lines of communication so workers can talk about the things they are seeing," suggested Peek-Asa. "People always come out after an incident to say, 'He told me he was depressed.' But they don't act on it. People have to feel comfortable enough to talk about it."

Jorge Cherbosque, co-director of the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center, wants UCLA employees to view the center as a place they can go to report problem behavior and seek help. "We want people to be proactive, to monitor, not ignore, potential problems and know there are good resources on campus."

The center, which offers counseling, stress-management classes, support groups and other resources, takes an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems.

When contacted about a possible troublesome situation, the center's staff assesses whether the threat is grounded and finds resources for employees to deal with it. If there appears to be immediate danger, then the center seeks police intervention.

If a manager is worried about taking disciplinary action against an employee, Campus Human Resources might get involved, or if a conflict exists between two employees, the Ombuds Office might be asked to mediate.

"We look at the facts, assess if there is real danger," said Cherbosque, who teaches a workshop through Campus Human Resources that helps supervisors identify and deal with problem employees. "These situations create anxiety, so we try to calm them. We provide a lot of emotional support for people who are threatened and help them return to a sense of safety."

The psychologist encounters situations that range from employees feeling disrespected and dejected in their jobs to workers who experience stalking or intimidation tactics. "We see the whole range," Cherbosque said.

Student Psychological Services, which provides counseling, behavior management, skills training and stress clinics, also takes a multi-pronged approach to solving students' problems. Other sources of help for students on campus include resident assistants, the Center for Women and Men, Student Affairs and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center.

According to a post-Columbine study by the Secret Service, in more than 75% of school-violence incidents, the attacker had confided in someone before taking action. But many people are afraid to come forward or betray a friend's trust. "It's difficult for adults to come forward, even harder for kids," Cherbosque added. With all the media attention on the subject, however, people are becoming more aware of the need to intervene early on, he said.

So what are the telltale signs that a co-worker or peer is in trouble?

According to Cherbosque, it's a cluster of things. Your antennae should go up when a good employee starts snapping angrily, losing control, throwing things. Or he or she may show a fascination with weapons or paranoia and start strategizing to take revenge.

"We've reviewed every worker-on-worker killing in California," said Peek-Asa. "It's almost always the case that the worker who becomes violent perceives an unfair situation, whether real or not."

"In terms of our campus," added Pruett of Student Psychological Services, "we look for radical shifts in behavior, someone who becomes more isolated, alone, takes care of himself less, sleeps more, shifts from the ordinary behavior of that student. When you see changes in people, it alerts you to something perhaps happening."

But, said Peek-Asa, although we know there are always precursors to violence, there is no way yet to actually predict with accuracy who will become violent. Supervisors and co-workers are only seeing one aspect of an employee's life, his work life, and have no idea what's going on in his family. It's hard to base a prediction on an incomplete picture, when there are other factors to take into account, she noted.

Interpersonal relationships, for example, must be considered. "Relationship problems by far outweigh all others," said Pruett of the most common problem that brings students in for counseling. "For a lot of students, they're in their first or second real, intimate relationship, and they're often fraught with difficulties. Students may feel rejected, abused in some fashion. Or there may be issues with parents or a roommate."

Interpersonal relationships also tend to influence the problems that develop in the workplace. Some employees have domestic issues that carry into work. According to Peek-Asa, most altercations and threats take place between same-level employees because that's where the most interaction occurs, rather than between supervisors and subordinates.

But the biggest culprit in workplace violence is probably stress.

"Stress, in my opinion, has created more violence, and people are very stressed. It's the No. 1 category people come in for," said Cherbosque, also a member of the campus Violence in the Workplace Committee. "Universities are mimicking corporations more and more. Before, UCLA was a more secure place to work. Over the last few years, we've seen layoffs, mergers. People are more anxious. They feel the pressure of doing jobs with fewer resources. When there is too much stress, we become more aggressive."

The lack of support systems, such as churches and strong family networks, may exacerbate problems, said Cherbosque, who suggests that companies need to help improve employees' quality of life by providing exercise programs, yoga classes and other services to de-stress, or perhaps offer the option to work a few days at home.

"In this modern world, we need to change the way we work," he said. "Very proactive companies are trying to respond to that. At UCLA, we want to take a more proactive approach, to try to provide resources."

For more information on the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center and the services they offer, which are free and confidential, or to schedule an appointment, call (310) 794-0245.