The Link Between Violence and Mental Illness

The stereotypes placed among those suffering mental illness and violent behavioral acts has been and continues to be a debatable concern throughout our society. This issue has led to research on the topic focusing on the roots of the connection between people who suffer mental illness and those violent behavioral acts. The discussion of the earlier studies that supported those stereotypes and the new evidence that unknowingly was measuring the required variables to collectively address the stereotypes between the violent behavioral acts of mentally ill population. The conclusion on this essay will be based on the connection, if any, between mental illness and violence or in the absence of proof of the connection suggest the need for further research.

Many people in our society usually have the belief that mental illness and violence have a strong and a direct relationship, this is because many individuals relate mental illness with a danger of causing harm to those in their surrounding environment. The societal discrimination has greatly influenced non-disclosure of mental illness and low rates of care seeking behaviors by the mentally ill due to the stigma that they face in the society.

Some individual who suffer from certain mentally illness can be easily provoked which is one of the points supporting the myth, situation that resemble past circumstances of victimization or trauma could result in an increased of an individual’s symptoms resulting in unfavorable actions. According to Barlati et al. (2019) patients who showed higher levels of verbal aggression were more likely to commit physical aggression against objects or against other people, and patients who showed higher levels of aggression against objects were more likely to commit aggression against other people. To add on, the mentally ill are usually vulnerable and therefore easily attracted to bullying tools which they use as defensive objects during violence. The lives of the population who suffer from mental illness are often significantly modified by symptoms of their illness and surrounding people’s reaction to them. And therefore, the points above clearly justify the myth.

This myth has really grown in our society because so many people usually perceive the mentally ill to be uncontrollably aggressive making them believe that they are capable of causing harm to those around them. As alleged by Stone (2018) society may be short-sighted in looking for a quick fix to remove a person with a mental illness from the community due to fear of potential violence, and it does not acknowledge the complexity of such an undertaking. This causes so many people to be distant to the mentally ill and the loneliness due to isolation cause them to acquire behaviors that are associated with violent actions during certain stressful or tense situations.

However, the myth has not been supported by the research findings that are available on the topic. Individuals with mental illness contribute to a very small population of the people who are associated with violence in the community. According to Stone (2018) experts find that 'alcohol and drug abuse can trigger violent behavior in people with or without psychiatric disorders.' Although, substance abuse can cause complications in many aspects of an individual’s life who suffers from major mental illness. The effects of drug abuse play a significant role in regard to these individuals who seek treatment. To add on some of the focused in-depth interviews with the mentally ill revealed that the mentally ill are in most cases the victims of violence but they are usually accused of causing the violence. As alleged by Hiday (1995) other variables are much more strongly predictive: being a young, adult, single, male, of lower socio- economic status, and being a substance abuser hold far greater risks of violence.

In conclusion, the association between violence and mental illness has adverse impact from the public health point of view and therefore public efforts are required to address issues of discrimination and negative attitudes towards the patients with mental illness. This is because the recent evidence remains not enough to justify that major mental illness can cause violent behavior. The research needs a to have more of a longitudinal time fame where social scientist can have more observation and, receive more detailed reports of the incident. It is essential for our society not to stereotype individual’s with mental illness, it is our responsibility to be aware of potential situation that could present conflict and take action to minimize the risk.