The Link Between Mental Illness and Violence

            The belief that persons with mental illness are dangerous is a significant factor in the development of stigma and discrimination. This link is often promoted by the news media and entertainment; in a survey for the Screen Actors’ Guild, characters in prime time television portrayed as having a mental illness are depicted as the most dangerous of all demographic groups: 60 percent were shown to be involved in crime or violence (Mental Health America, 1999). The majority of news stories regarding mental illness tend to either focus on people who have committed a crime who happen to have a mental disorder.

The result is that most Americans believe that people suffering from mental illnesses are dangerous. The majority of people in the United States believe that people with a mental illness pose a threat of violence towards other people (Pescosolido et al., 1999). In reality, however, people have little reason to worry. The American Psychiatric Association claims that most perpetrators of violent crime do not have any mental illness, and those with mental illness are over twice as likely to be a victim of a violent crime than those without; in fact, one in four people in America with a mental illness experience violence each year (Shapiro, 2014). Even so, there are countless articles and blogs like this one that call for the mentally ill to essentially be rounded up and institutionalized in the name of “preventing violence.”

Still, high profile crimes such as mass shootings seem to always bring up the issue of mentally ill people having access to guns, regardless of whether or not the shooter actually had a mental illness. In response to the Sandy Hook shootings (the shooter, Adam Lanza, was never diagnosed with a mental disorder), New York passed the Safe Act in 2013, which mandated that mental-health professionals file reports on patients “likely to engage in conduct that would result in harm to self or others”; those patients, who now number more than 38,000, have been cross-checked against lists of registered gun owners. Those who have been labeled as being “at-risk” and own a gun have had them seized and have been prevented from buying new ones.

Opponents to the Safe Act argue that the law is just another form of stigma related to mental illnesses. In a 2001 study that looked at 34 mass murderers, only 1 out of 4 had a history of mental illness (Beckett, 2014). In contrast, it was found that over half had a documented history of violence. Jeffrey Swanson, a psychology professor at Duke, states that if he had it his way, gun prohibitions would not be based upon mental history, but violent history. As Swanson stated, “Any history of violent behavior is a much stronger predictor of future violence than mental health diagnoses…People with mental illnesses are still people, and people aren’t all one thing or another.”

Post Four: Strategies to Fight Stigma

A study done by Corbiere, Samson, Villotti, and Pelletier (2012) examined different strategies used to fight the stigma of mental illness. The study considered the perspectives of three different groups: Clinical (mental healthcare workers), experiential (those who use mental health services), and organizational (managers, researchers, and others). The study was done during an annual Canadian conference entitled “Combating Stigma, a Collective Challenge!” A total of 315 people participated in the survey, which could be completed either online or on paper.

Of the 315 participants, 277 answered the question relevant to the study: (44%) were clinicians, and (27%) used mental healthcare services. The remaining participants were comprised of managers (10%), coordinators (8%), researchers/professors (3%), friends and family (3%), students (1%), and other (4%). The question was opened ended and worded as follows: tell us briefly what you do to reduce prejudice and stigma toward people with a diagnosis of a mental disorder.

After reading all of the answers, the researchers established 15 categories of strategies, which were then grouped into six separate themes. The most common strategy used was education/teaching (42%). Over a third (32%) cited normalizing as a strategy. In most cases, normalizing is used when communicating with someone with a mental disorder. It entails treating the individual just as you would treat anyone else. One clinician stated, “I act normal, I treat them like whole people and I ignore the illness.”

Other strategies emerged as well. Two strategies that focused on the person with the mental illness were working on recovery (19%) and working on social inclusion. The sharing/encouraging strategy (9%) was directed at the general public and involved having a user of mental health services share their story with people in an attempt to alter others’ opinions of those with mental illnesses. Other less common strategies included listening/caring (11%), accepting/respecting (8%), meeting/coming (3%), doing introspective work (6%), and being natural (2%).

Despite the low incidence of doing introspective work and being natural, these two are important, as the authors state that before this study was performed, self-directed strategies were rarely spoken of. For someone “being natural,” one would not disclose their diagnosis and would normalize mental illness for those that they meet. As one user of mental health services reported, “ I live with a diagnosis of mental disorder…to counter the prejudice and stigma I choose to act like a person without distinction.” This study has highlighted the importance of including different stakeholders in research in order to provide a more complete perspective on a subject.

Post Three

Besides Dr. Phil, Sigmund Freud is probably the most famous person to have ever worked in the field of psychology. He is known as the father of psychoanalysis, a practice that aims to release repressed emotions and experiences, i.e. make the unconscious conscious. Until Freud, it was almost universally agreed upon that mental illnesses were “organic,” meaning that psychiatrists believed they were due to some kind of deterioration or disease of the brain.  The idea that mental disorders could be caused by psychological reasons and not just by physical diseases in the brain had never been given much credence.

Freud was born in Austria in 1856 and trained as a neurologist at the University of Vienna. He set up a private practice in 1886, initially using hypnosis in his clinical work. However, he eventually began to use what he called “free association,” where he would encourage patients to talk freely about whatever ideas or memories occurred to them. Freud thought that his patients’ dreams could be analyzed to reveal the complex structuring of unconscious material and to demonstrate the psychic action of what he called repression, which underlay symptom formation. By 1896, Freud was using the term “psychoanalysis” to refer to his new clinical method and the theories that were based upon it.

Freud’s work is responsible for many terms we hear everyday, such as “Freudian slip,” “repression,” and “denial,” but he also made contributions to the field of psychology that are not as generally known, and even theories that are completely disproven. For instance, his theory of penis envy, the idea that girls between the ages of 3-5 distance themselves from their mothers and cling to their fathers because they “hold their mother responsible for their lack of a penis and do not forgive her for their being thus put at a disadvantage,” is now rightly viewed as ridiculous and offensively sexist. This article delves a little deeper into his perspective on women.

Freudian theory and practice have been challenged by empirical findings over the years. Some psychiatrists continue to train in, and practice, traditional Freudian psychoanalysis, but most psychiatrists today reject the majority of Freud's work and see it as being unsupported by evidence and best used for inspiration or historical study, if at all. Although Freud developed his method for the treatment of neuroses, some people today seek out psychoanalysis not as a cure for an illness, but as part of a process of self-discovery. Although much of his work did not stand up to the test of time, his ideas have become the basis for theories being used today. If it had not of been for Freud shifting the focus of psychiatry from physical ailments, the field of psychology may not have progressed to where it is today.

Post Two

There is often a long delay between the time an individual starts experiencing the symptoms of a mental illness and when they actually seek help. The main reason cited by those individuals is the fear of the stigma of mental illness being attached to them. Unfortunately, the stigma doesn't seem to disappear after a person has sought help for their symptoms either, as this article states "Nine out of ten mental-health patients felt that the stigma associated with the illness was more difficult to deal with than their actual conditions."

However, there are people out there actively fighting to put an end to the stigma of mental illnesses. Recently, comedian and television host Wayne Brady came forward and spoke about his struggle with depression. Brady revealed that he had suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts as far back as 2006, but it wasn’t until the suicide of his idol, Robin Williams, earlier this year that he decided to finally seek professional help. He said that if sharing his personal story helps someone then it “was all worth it.”

Other celebrities have also spoken up about being diagnosed with mental illnesses. Lady Gaga read an emotional letter aloud to the audience in London’s O2 arena in late 2013 from a fan that said he had attempted suicide, but had found comfort in her music. Lady Gaga then admitted that she herself takes medication everyday for a mental illness and is not ashamed about it. She confided that six months earlier she didn’t even want to continue her career in music, and then credited her boyfriend in helping her carry on.

In 2004, actress Glenn Closes’ sister Jessie came to her and told her she wanted to die. After admitting Jessie to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Glenn was inspired to help others as well. She then cofounded “Bring Change 2 Mind,” a foundation that attempts to counter the stigma and silence surrounding mental disorders. The nonprofit makes PSAs and aims to act as a portal to other organizations that can provide screenings, support, and treatment to those with mental illness.

It’s never easy to share your personal issues with others and make yourself vulnerable, so what these celebrities have done is actually very brave. Hopefully when more people come forward others will realize that mental disorders are just as legitimate as any physical condition, and those suffering from mental illness deserve as much respect as those without. No one chooses to be sick, and instead of pushing people with mental disorders down, we should be trying to lift them up.