Viral blog: I am Adam Lanza's mother

UNDATED (WHDH) -- There's still a lot we don't know about what led to the school massacre, or why Adam Lanza went on a rampage at the Sandy Hook School and we may never know.

But, the tragedy has placed a new spotlight on not just gun violence but, the issue of mental health in this country.

A mother from Boise, Idaho wrote an article on her blog Friday, the day of the massacre and it is now going viral.

It has struck a chord on the internet and across the country. Her message: it's time to start talking about mental illness.

"My name is Liza Long, and I'm the mother of a mentally ill son,” said the author of the blog.

I am Adam Lanza’s mother is a chilling line from Liza Long's blog.

“I'm calling my son Michael, that's not his real name. He's 13 years old. He's bright, loves Harry Potter, loves to snuggle animals. He's working on a novel. But when he gets angry, he frightens me,” said Long.

In her post, which has gone viral, shared tens of thousands of times online, Long writes, "a few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books. His 7 and 9 year old siblings knew the safety plan - they ran to the car and locked the doors before I even asked them to."

"I first learned about the Connecticut shooting at work on my Facebook feed. I closed the door to my office and started to shiver,” said Long.

It's a plea for help for the mentally ill, before something like this happens again. She wrote: "these boys and their mothers need help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it's easy to talk about guns. But it's time to talk about mental illness."

“Every time I hear about a mass shooting, I think about my son. And I wonder if someday I'll be that mom,” said Long.

You can see more of Liza Long's interview Monday on the Today Show right here on 7NBC.