Patients with Mental Illness not Nearly as Violent as Suspected

It is not uncommon for the public to assume that mental illness, suspected killers, and violence have much in common. The North County Times recently visited this link in a trio of slayings, but mental health providers and advocates argue that the connection is not nearly as strong as it is often suggested.

In fact, one report issued as part of a February 2008 American Psychiatry Association journal highlighted that the mentally ill are actually far more likely to become victims of violence instead of committing violent crimes themselves.

Some may actually argue the statistics noted by the New England Journal of Medicine. In this piece, the author, Dr. Richard Friedman, said that the prevalence of violence among people with serious mental illnesses rests at 16 percent. This percentage is actually twice as high as those individuals without mental illness.

While this statistic is staggering, Friedman himself pointed out that due to the fact that serious mental illness is so rare, it contributes very little to the overall violence rates in the general population. He also highlighted that violence as a result of substance abuse is far more common than that of mental illness.

The treatment provided to a patient matters a great deal as those who are being treated for their mental illness are no more likely to be violent than anyone else. However, the law does not allow for the forced treatment of anyone with mental illness who resides outside of the criminal justice system, especially if he or she is not considered to be dangerous.

There is also a challenge for many of those who suffer from mental illness and have a record of violence. For many of these individuals, the only treatment they get is when they are behind bars. While this treatment is much needed, this method of receiving it could be counter-productive to their recovery and rehabilitation.
 

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