Mental Illness and the Myth of Violent Behavior (From Violence in Homes and Communities: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment, P 181-204, 1999, Thomas P. Gullotta and Sandra J. McElhaney, eds. -- See NCJ-182594)

• NCJ Number: 182598
• Author(s): Michael M. Faenza; Robert W. Glover; Gail P. Hutchings; James A. Radack
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 24 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter explores the implied, and often erroneous, link between mental illness and violence.

Abstract

The chapter: (1) reviews current research on the relationship between mental illness and violence; (2) explores the impact of myths and stereotypes; (3) identifies tools for risk assessment and predictors of violence used by the field; (4) describes effective treatment strategies and community responses; and (5) discusses the increased victimization of persons with mental illnesses. In order to lessen the erroneous assumptions surrounding the issue of violence and its relationship to mental illness, it is important that public policy decisions be based on empirical data. Some of the areas for future research include: co-occurring substance abuse disorders; victimization; efficacy of systems integration; social supports; research designs, especially longitudinal studies that follow people over time, and research into socioeconomic status, diagnosis, use of psychiatric medications and selection and exclusion criteria; family violence; involuntary commitment, including the standard for “harm to self or others”; problems in the definition and measurement of dangerousness; self-harm and suicide rates; and the impact on violence of involuntary interventions. References