Contrary to popular belief, acts of violence are rarely the work of people with mental illness, several studies reveal.
- While we often make the link between acts of violence and mental illness, a special issue of the journal “Harvard Review of Psychiatry” reveals that only 3 to 5% of acts of violence are attributable to mental illness.
When a new episode of violence such as a mass shooting or a feminicide occurs, many people consider that these events are committed by “mentally deranged” people, and that never someone considered “sane” could commit such atrocities. This may even lead to wondering whether this violence could have been foreseen or prevented.
However, the link between violence and mental illness is not systematic, reveal several studies published in the journal Harvard Review of Psychiatry. In this special issue, experts on the treatment and prevention of violence question the relationship of the latter with mental illnesses. If violence and mental illness are public health problems, it is often difficult, even risky, to link them systematically, reveal the work. In fact, only 3-5% of violent acts are attributable to mental illness. “The vast majority of perpetrators of violent crime do not have a diagnosable mental illness, and conversely, most people with psychiatric disorders are never violent”emphasizes Dr. Jeffrey Swanson, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Faculty of Medicine at Duke University (United States), and who coordinated this issue.
Questioning the full spectrum of violence in the context of mental illness
The articles featured in this special issue of the journal “reflect both the multidimensional nature of the problem and the importance of interdisciplinary research to inform effective interventions and policies aimed at attempting to address it”says Dr. Swanson.
Thus, two articles discuss mental health treatments to prevent violence: current research and practices on medication, as well as behavioral therapies aimed at reducing hostility and aggressiveness, particularly in the case of schizophrenia. and autism spectrum disorders. The researchers conclude that while some treatments have been proven to reduce violent behavior, their effectiveness remains uncertain, particularly for these two fundamentally different disorders.
The review also sheds light on the violence often experienced by caregivers and family members of people with serious mental illnesses. According to the data collected, one in five family members is affected.
A study also looks at the risk assessment of violence, while an article sheds light on the role played by mental illness in mass shootings. The authors propose a strategy to study the complex causes of these tragic events, with a broader collaboration of psychiatry to try to prevent them. For the authors of these works, it is essential to “deliberately rejecting the stigmatizing assumption that psychopathology is the primary driver of a mass shooting”.
Finally, an article on gun violence prevention argues for state laws allowing psychiatrists or other professionals to petition the court to order the removal of firearms from patients who present with ” imminent risk” of harm to themselves or others. This type of protective order has already proven successful in some states, allowing law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from people whose behavior indicates an imminent risk of violence.
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