Violence, Mental Illness and Stigma

Since the shooting in Arizona on Saturday, I have noticed a lot of press attention given to the possibility that the young man who shot Rep. Giffords and killed six other people has a mental illness. This has led to conjecture on the part of the press and others that the mental illness is what caused Jared Loughner to engage in such a horrific act. This is concerning because it continues to perpetuate the myth that mentally ill people are violent.
SAMHAS (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) provided the following information on their website.

“A consensus statement signed by more than three dozen lawyers, advocates, consumers/survivors, and mental health professionals reads in part: “The results of several recent large-scale research projects conclude that only a weak association between mental disorders and violence exists in the community. Serious violence by people with major mental disorders appears concentrated in a small fraction of the total number, and especially in those who use alcohol and other drugs.” (Monhan, J. and Arnold, J., 1996)

In addition:

• “Research has shown that the vast majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses.” (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

• “Clearly, mental health status makes at best a trivial contribution to the overall level of violence in society” (Monahan, John, 1992).

• “. . . [T]he absolute risk of violence among the mentally ill as a group is still very small and . . . only a small proportion of the violence in our society can be attributed to persons who are mentally ill.” (Mulvey, 1994)

• “Most people who suffer from a mental disorder are not violent — there is no need to fear them. Embrace them for who they are — normal human beings experiencing a difficult time, who need your open mind, caring attitude, and helpful support.” (Grohol, 1998)

• “Compared with the risk associated with the combination of male gender, young age, and lower socioeconomic status, the risk of violence presented by mental disorder is modest.” (Policy Research Associates, December 1994)

People with psychiatric disabilities are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crime. (Appleby, et.al., 2001)

“A study by researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University has found that people with severe mental illness — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or psychosis — are 2 1⁄2 times more likely to be attacked, raped or mugged than the general population.” (— Chamberlain, Claudine. “Victims, Not Violent: Mentally Ill Attacked at a Higher Rate,” ABC News “

Societal attitudes toward the mentally ill, including stigma, tend to increase discrimination. President’s Freedom Commission on Mental Health found that stigma leads persons not living with mental illness to avoid living, socializing, or working with, renting to, or employing people with mental disorders – especially severe disorders, such as schizophrenia. It leads to low self-esteem, isolation, and hopeless. People with mental health issues internalize the public attitudes and will often conceal symptoms or fail to seek treatment.

There is still much work to be done in regards to the effects of the media pundits’ and politicians’ hate speech on the minds of vulnerable people, people who have been raised in an atmosphere of abuse, bigotry, and violence. However, I encourage the media to put aside the possibility of mental illness existing within the perpetrator and explore instead the effects of negative and hateful rhetoric on minds that have been isolated due to media’s own perpetuation of the stigma of the mentally ill. It is so important to remember also that most violent people are not mentally ill and few mentally ill people are violent.