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When a typical person is told that someone has a mental disorder, the first thoughts that run through his or her head might be to stay away from the crazy person or that the person with a mental disorder might be violent.
This isn’t what everyone thinks, but the facts are surprising. According to older reports, many people are hesitant to be friends with people who have mental disorders – 38 percent in fact. Many also were found to believe that people with mental disorders are violent – 61 percent thought that “people with schizophrenia are likely to be dangerous to others.”
These statistics are old, but a recent study from Columbia University also showed that there was “no change in prejudice and discrimination toward people with serious mental illness or substance abuse problems despite a greater embrace by the public of neurobiological explanations for these illnesses.” This was over a 10-year period – 1996 to 2006.
The public misconception could be because of how mental disorders are depicted in movies and TV. For example, one report found that 60 percent of characters on prime time television with a mental illness “were shown to be involved in crime or violence.” This is “three times the average rate,” which obviously paints a skewed picture for the general population.
Understandably, TV and movies tend to focus on fiction and the most extreme scenarios. Also, the argument can be made that someone who is mentally healthy would not consider hurting someone else, except in defense. However, there are other factors, like substance abuse and drugs, that can alter logical thinking.
Other studies, like one in early September from the University of Oxford, showed that mental disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are not linked to an increase in violence. Only those who have substance abuse problems had a higher violent crime rate, but this was the same rate as people in the general public who also had substance abuse problems.
The only thing that is concerning is that those with mental disorders tend to turn to drugs and alcohol more often than the general population.
Also, there are mental disorders that are associated with violent behavior toward others, including antisocial personality disorder and intermittent explosive disorder. Other mental disorders are known for violent behavior toward oneself, including borderline personality disorder and severe depression, where cutting can occur.
Ariel Brenner, the executive assistant at Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, suffers from bipolar disorder and believes that the link between violence and mental disorders is a misperception and stigma.
“Plenty of violent people do not have bipolar disorder, and it’s only one symptom that some people with the illness may have,” Brenner said. “It’s not typical. It’s not as typical as, say, mood swings or sadness.”
She said she doesn’t think people with mental disorders are more violent than those in the general population. However, those not under treatment might have violent episodes, and probably more men than women.
Brenner said that the manic part of bipolar disorder could be more associated with anger or violence than the depression part. Changing medication can also cause “spontaneous outbursts of temper.”
“Depression has less of an…acted out anger component…for women especially,” she said. “When you’re depressed, you’re just flat, you don’t have any energy to be angry at other people.”
David Shapiro, a psychologist at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, said in an e-mail that the violence level associated with mental disorders depends.
“In general, mentally ill are no more violent than the general population,” Shapiro said. “However, certain subgroups do show higher rates of violence, though at a very slightly increased level, primarily those with paranoid disorders.”
This is because of substance abuse, and those with paranoid disorders tend to think others are trying to hurt them and respond to that fear.
In general, the rate of violence shown in men and women is not known to be different.
“Some anecdotal articles about male and female psychiatric patients tends to show that female patients engage in violence more often, but males have more serious and deadly violence,” Shapiro said.
Sources:
http://www.samhsa.gov/MentalHealth/understanding_Mentalllness_Factsheet.aspx
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100915080437.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/sep/06/substance-abuse-mental-illness-crimes
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