Mental Illness and Violence are not related

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There is the assumption that everyone with a mental illness is or will become violent, but it is most commonly used as an excuse for what someone has done.  In turn it adds to the ever-present stigma that comes with a diagnosis of mental illness.  

According to research done at Oxford University it was found that two of the most serious psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder - can lead to bouts of delusions, hallucinations and loss of contact with reality; however, these conditions are not an indicator for potential for violence.  In research done with more than 20,000 people in 2009 showed that the probability of violence was greater in those with who were abusing drugs and alcohol, then those with a mental illness.  Mental illness is more often used to explain violence and is over reported by the media with blatant false information.  These reporting’s make it nearly impossible to change the impression of the general public.  Heaven forbid people should be responsible for their own actions.    

Everyone has a tendency to be violent given the right circumstances, so to blame an illness is incorrect. Knowing how the brain works in these instances is crucial.  My dad was a paranoid schizophrenic who refused medical care; he used drugs and alcohol instead - in theory making him a triple threat in the area of being violent (according to the research and the general public) in reality; he was only a danger to himself.  Becoming a recluse he died alone in his bathroom of a massive heart attack.    

We have become a society of blaming  others or incidents for what we do.  It is rarely our own fault.  Look in the news and you will see celebrities who when caught in adultery immediately claim they have a sexual addiction and are seeking treatment. Really??  How about being honest and stating the truth, you can't be faithful and are looking for a way out.  Nearly anyone in a high-profile job or having celebrity status immediately turns to the mental illness genre for the reason for their actions.  Since we tend to idolize these people we immediately believe it is ok and everyone jumps on the band wagon.  What this does to those who truly live with these illnesses, it undermines there condition and hopes for recovery and becoming an accepted member of society.    

To put things into perspective soccer fans are more likely to be violent during a soccer match, but the person in general would never be seen as violent, but simply a fan.  This is true, as a soccer parent for 14 years, the game itself and the parents/fans watching can become very volatile.  It is a high pressure, emotional game that is taken very, very seriously.  In reality, statistics show that 1 in 14.3 million people will be killed by a person with schizophrenia, while you are three times more likely to be killed by a lightning strike at home.    

One of the worst things is to admit being mentally ill so it is kept quiet, and we suffer in silence because if anyone found out, we know we would be ostracized.  The general public would be surprised at the number people they associate with each day with some sort of mental illness, including the two most serious disorders, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.  Before you judge someone, make sure you know who they really are, what is truly behind their actions and how you may be able to help them. 

Related articles

• A physiological marker for false memories (guardian.co.uk)
• Prejudice and Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness (godplacedherinmypath.wordpress.com)

Label your items, not people

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I look around my office/craft room and see boxes with labels on them telling me what is inside.  Papers, notebooks, craft supplies and of course, the inevitable junk box.  These labels are a necessity and keep me from searching frantically for what I need.  It's a shame not all labels work that way.  When used to locate an item or as a direction, they are most helpful, when we label people, however, the idea and use of these word's changes and are all too often used against us. 

Kids begin this at an early age. We now refer to it as bullying.  They use names and labels to make fun of others, telling someone they are fat, ugly or useless or simply annoying can have damaging effect in many ways.  Those who are using the words think they are being funny and are in someway looking for attention for themselves.  In turn they receive the label of a bully and may themselves be cast aside because of their self-imposed  label.  

As we grow older, we continue this trend, not in the same words necessarily, but in the idea.  Enter the work place and there are new labels.  Executives are seen as stuck up and unapproachable, giving them the level of snobby.  Those with menial jobs are called worthless, when they are actually willing do the jobs no one else wants.  The secretary who dresses modestly is teased for being an old maid because she does not flaunt her body to the public.  

Those in the general public are not exempt.  The mother living in the homeless shelter with three young children is seen as lazy and looking for a hand out, when she has just saved herself and her children from her abusive husband and is trying to start over to create a safe place for her children to grow up.  We fear those of a different color or nationality because they are labeled as dangerous and untrustworthy, the media has fed into this fear by reporting the bad and not focusing on the good that does happen. 

One of the greatest uses of degrading labels is the stigma of mental illness.  Does anyone truly understand the complexity of the brain and its capabilities?  It is that misunderstanding and fear of the unknown that brings the label of crazy, ignorant, freak and loner, when like anyone else they are looking for acceptance and understanding.  Many people would be surprised to learn how many individuals they interact with each day who have some sort of mental illness.  The reason they remain secretive about it is because of the label that would come with going public.  Their life would change, who they were before the admission would no longer matter and would now only be seen as mentally ill, unapproachable and an outcast.  Two words that can change a life in a second.  

Labels have their place, make sure you use them in the right one.