Are People with Mental Illnesses More Dangerous?

Words by Natalene Vaswani

7 December 2020

Mental illness is a broad overarching term encompassing mental, emotional and behavioral disorder. Mental illnesses can cause hindrances of different severity levels to the individuals living with it. The ramifications depend on the type and depth of one’s condition (National Institute of Mental Health [NIH], 2019). To consider everyone with a mental illness as ‘more dangerous’ to society is highly inaccurate given that most people living with mental illnesses are more at risk of inflicting self-harm than to cause injury to others (Better Health Channel, 2019, Mental Illness and Violence, para. 1-4). However, there are academic findings that indicate a positive correlation between illnesses such as schizophrenia and aggressive offenses. Scraping the surface of such findings without considering other confounding variables perpetuates societal misconception that patients with mental illnesses are physically violent and therefore dangers to society (Fazel, Långström, Hjern, Grann, Lichtenstein, 2009, p. 65). Based on existing scientific literature, a category of mental illness – psychotic disorders are more commonly associated with violence. Schizophrenia is an example of a psychotic disorder. Schizophrenia has a diverse list of clinical findings and therefore, people who similarly suffer from schizophrenia may differ in terms of their manifestation of violence. Nonetheless, research has shown that a subdivision of individuals with schizophrenia consistently display malice to the immediate community of people around them. This community could be family members living under the same roof, other inhabitants within the same neighborhood or even the staff assisting these patients in a medical facility (Wehring & Carpenter, 2011, pp. 877-878). Research has shown that patients with comorbid disorders of substance abuse disorder coupled with a mental illness are more prone to engage in a minimum of one physically aggressive action a year as compared to those with a mental illness. Findings from a 2009 study suggest that across the period of 1973 to 2006, 8.5% of people with schizophrenia have committed a minimum of one aggressive offence while 27.6% of those who have a comorbid disorder of schizophrenia and substance abuse disorder have committed at least an aggressive offence. Thereby showing that mental illnesses alone do not make individuals dangerous, other factors coupled with mental illnesses such as substance abuse are the precipitants of violence (Harvard Health Publishing, 2011). In another study, researchers measured the tendency of physical hostility between patients with schizophrenia and their mentally healthy sibling. In general, individuals with schizophrenia have a higher probability of displaying physical aggression, but schizophrenia patients with mentally healthy siblings are less likely to commit acts of physical aggression. This sheds light on the fact that mental illness does not render an individual more prone to physical aggression, factors such as genetics, the community and circumstances one grew up in as well as financial stability could contribute to an individual’s tendency to erupt in violent acts (Harvard Health Publishing, 2011). Studies have proven that the treatment of mental illnesses using medication coupled with the restructuring of cognition and behaviors can effectively decrease the likelihood of physical aggression in mental health patients. A particular study conducted on schizophrenia patients have proven that those who orally consumed antipsychotics displayed less physical aggression as compared to those who did not (Harvard Health Publishing, 2011). Another commonly known mental illness - borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by temperamental emotional states, valuation of self and conduct. These characteristics cause individuals suffering from BPD to engage in rash behaviors and forge insecure relationships with those around them. Individuals with BPD undergo exceptionally high levels of fury, melancholy and unease (National Institute of Mental Health [NIH], 2017). One may think that their sentiments of fury coupled with the tendency to act on impulses implies that individuals with BPD may threaten the safety of the society. However, individuals with BPD are more inclined to engage in self-mutilation as compared to the average person. Hence, even with impulsive behavior and heated emotions, they do not pose much of a threat to the public. In conclusion, mental illnesses alone do not have a causal relationship with violence. There are confounding variables that account for an increased percentage of violence seen in a subset of all mental health patients. Those confounding variables such as substance use disorders, genetics and social environment can play a role in an average person turning violent too. To cast a stereotype across all mental health patients and deem them ‘more dangerous’ to society is unfair and stigmatizing. With adequate medication and treatment, there will be a decrease in violence even in the subgroups where physical aggression is displayed. A society that shows acceptance and respect towards mental health patients will spur more of them to seek help and make their journey towards improved mental health more manageable.

References:

1. Better Health Channel. (2019). Mental illness and violence. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/mental-illness-and-violence

2. Fazel, S., Långström, N., Hjern, A., Grann, M., & Lichtenstein, P. (2009). Schizophrenia, substance abuse, and violent crime. Current Medical Literature: Psychiatry, 20(3), 65-74. doi: 10.1001/jama.2009.675

3. Harvard Health Publishing. (2011). Mental illness and violence. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/mental-illness-and-violence

4. National Institute of Mental Health. (2017). Borderline personality disorder. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder/index.shtml

5. National Institute of Mental Health. (2019). Mental illness. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml

6. Wehring, H. J., & Carpenter, W. T. (2011). Violence and schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 37(5), 877-878. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160236/