Thursday, April 19, 2007
Violence and Mental Illness
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a good perspective. For example: "Overall, the amount of violence committed by people with schizophrenia is small, and only 1 percent of the U.S. population has schizophrenia....By comparison, about 2 percent of the general population without psychiatric disorder engages in any violent behavior in a one-year period." And, "The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that the likelihood of violence by people with mental illness is low. In fact, 'the overall contribution of mental disorders to the total level of violence in society is exceptionally small.' More often, people living with mental illness are the victims of violence."
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People need to hear this kind of information from the media more often. For perspective.
Also, I think that a lot of people don't respect and understand the great range of mental disorders, how different they can be from each other and in manifestation, and also that there are a million different degrees to which a person can be afflicted.
Generally speaking, I'd wager a bet that most mentally ill people are most harmful to themselves.
At least I know that I turn inward in crisis and most of my mentally ill friends do too.
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