by Kristi Caporoso
One of the most hotly debated topics in the world at this time is whether or not mental illness is the cause for all of the violent acts that take place among us. People are quick to notice, and the media is even quicker to report, whenever someone who commits a violent act was suffering from any form of mental illness. When a school shooting occurs, people instantly believe it is due to their being depressed, or suffering from a form of autism, or another mental struggle they are dealing with. The same goes for other massacres in the public. Usually the first question addressed is whether or not the person involved was mentally ill. Is this connection real? Is there a significant connection between violence and mental illness?Studies show that while the connection between mental illness and violence does exist, mental illness is not the sole cause of violence. Numerous studies from years ago showed that there was a significant relation between violence and mental health. However, after repeating these studies and many others, it has been shown that the relation between the two is not as strong as it was once believed to be. Also, numerous other factors have been shown to lead to violence; factors that are not as popularized by the media as mental illness. The risk for a person to commit an act of violence is significantly higher when substance abuse is involved. Another important factor is childhood abuse or neglect. When these two factors are combined with a serious mental illness, that is when the risk for violence is at its peak. "Take away the substance abuse and you have a weak relationship that is likely no more predictive than the person’s age." Therefore mental illness on its own is not a significant cause of violence.
If all of this research is correct, why does society believe that mental illness is the sole cause of violent acts around the globe? It is clear that child abuse and neglect and substance abuse are significant factors as well, and need to be combined with mental illness in order for a threat of violence to be likely. It is unknown why these two other important factors aren't known as factors of violence. Perhaps it is because of the already existing stigma surrounding mental illness. In time, it's possible that society will come to understand that there are other things responsible for acts of violence besides mental illness.
Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/05/30/myth-busting-are-violence-mental-illness-significantly-related/
