The Myth of Violence and Mental Illness

[Floyd R. Turbo]

In today’s media reports about mental illness, there is a tendency to emphasize a supposed link between violence and mental illness. News stories regularly suggest that there is a strong connection between mental illness and crime. But the majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses. In fact, people with a mental illness are more likely to be the victims, rather than the perpetrators of violence.

Because the media often quotes dramatic statistics to underscore their case, a look at the broader picture is essential. For example, studies have found that the rate of violence (defined as threatening, hitting, fighting or otherwise hurting another person) for people with mental illness is 3 to 5 times the rate of the general public. On its own, this is a worrying figure. But it is similar to how much more violent men are than women.

Recent studies have shown that alcohol and substance abuse far outweigh mental illness in contributing to violence. A 1996 Health Canada review of scientific articles found that the strongest predictor of violence and criminal behaviour is not major mental illness, but past history of violence and criminality.

Re-shaping beliefs is not an easy task. But it is important to correct the misleading information about this issue, because it leads to intolerance and negatively impacts the lives of people with mental illness and our society as a whole. Learning the facts about violence and mental illness is an important first step in building realistic attitudes about this complex issue.

https://cmhadurham.ca/finding-help/the-myth-of-violence-and-mental-illness/

[SheltieLover]

1. Yup!

[Floyd R. Turbo]

2. A good read. Blaming violence on mental illness really pisses me off! More often than not the perp

is just a shitbag. Plain and simple!

[SheltieLover]

3. Absolutely!

[GoCubsGo]

4. Yes, sociopaths and psychopaths are only a fraction of the perpetrators.

They seem to get the bulk of the attention, for various reasons, which makes it seem like they're the norm, rather than the run-of-the-mill assholes.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

5. Absolutely!

[mathematic]

6. "the rate of violence for people with mental illness is 3 to 5 times the rate of the general public"

How can they use language like "myth" and "supposed link" when they are LITERALLY saying there is a 3 to 5 time higher rate of violence?

Furthermore, they use deliberately confusing statistical claims like "the majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses". Well, yes, I would expect that since the vast majority of people do not suffer from mental illnesses that the majority of people that are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses. This sort of statement is as useful as something like "the majority of homeowners in Idaho are white".

It is also not correct to lump all mental illnesses together, as if they have the same impact on violence. There's a world of difference between somebody with depression (treated or untreated) and untreated BPD.

Frankly, I have no idea why it's good public policy to downplay, obfuscate, or otherwise minimize the impacts of mental illnesses on violence. If a person has a mental illness that causes increased violence then they have a personal and social responsibility to get it treated and the people around them are just when considering the efficacy of this treatment when forming a personal relationship.

[Zeitghost]

7. While it's true

That most people with mental illness are not violent and that they are more likely to be victims than perpetrators, it is also true that they are much more likely to be violent than people without mental illness. It's not an either or situation.