11/22/2014

Violence and Mental Illness? Other Risks Play Much Stronger Role | 2014 APA Annual Convention

Violence and Mental Illness? Other

Risks Play Much Stronger Role
Posted on August 9, 2014 by Lisa Bowen
Although its a common public perception that people who commit violence are mentally ill,
the research says otherwise, according to presenters at the panel discussion Mental Illness
and Violence Toward Research-Informed Policies and Practice.
The next time some kind of violence occurs, instead of automatically focusing on serious
mental illness as the possible cause, I urge you to ask what else is going on, said Eric. B.
Elbogen, PhD.

While severe mental illness can be a cause of violent behavior, research shows that only 5
to 10 percent of violent crime is attributable to it. Most people with severe mental illness do
not commit violence toward others, and when they are violent, there may be stronger links to
other risk factors, said Elbogan, who is with the forensic psychiatry program and clinic at the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
He noted findings of a national longitudinal survey of 34,653 people that looked at 16 risk
factors for violence and found that the top five were age, sex, substance abuse, education
and steady employment. Severe mental illness in the last 12 months was No. 14, while
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11/22/2014

Violence and Mental Illness? Other Risks Play Much Stronger Role | 2014 APA Annual Convention

severe mental illness more than 12 months previously was No. 16. The survey was

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conducted in two waves: 2001 to 2002 and
2004 to 2005.

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We have to think beyond a psychiatric diagnosis and address protective factors, such as

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Another national study of 1,399 veterans who served after 9/11 found that those who did not

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have protective factors had a 50 percent greater chance of engaging in severe violence than
those who did have protective factors. Instead of looking at PTSD or other mental illness as

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a cause for violent behavior, lets look at if they are sleeping, if they are homeless, or if they
are in physical pain, he said.
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There was a palpable sense of urgency in the standing-room-only crowd that heard a clear
message that psychologists must be involved in the national policy discussion of gun
violence prevention because of the direct impacts it has on their clinical practice and their
clients.
How violence is perceived is instrumental to policymaking, said presenter Michael Awad,
MA, who gave a preview of a study under way about perceptions of mental illness and
violence among psychologists and legislators. Consultation with the mental health
profession in legislation has been largely absent.
Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that restrict access to firearms by
people who are mentally ill, and several states prohibit firearm purchase or possession by
anyone who has been voluntarily admitted to a psychiatric facility within specified time
periods, said Awad, a doctoral student at Columbia University.
In California, New York and Illinois, licensed psychotherapists must report clients who pose
a serious threat of harm to themselves or others to local law enforcement. If a client does
own a gun, the clients firearm license may be suspended or revoked and the firearm must be
surrendered, he said. Gun owners are saying to other gun owners, By no means should you
seek mental health services, Awad said. The fact is its much easier to get a gun in this
country than to get mental health services.
Robert T. Kinscherff, PhD, JD, who chaired the seven-member work group that developed
APAs Resolution on Firearm Violence Research and Prevention and helped write the
APA report on Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention and Policy said a public health approach
based on research and that includes aspects of product safety and public education will be
essential to successfully deal with gun violence.
There are in excess of 350 million firearms in the United States, more than the nations
entire population, Kinscherff said. We discovered early on when writing the APA report that
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11/22/2014

Violence and Mental Illness? Other Risks Play Much Stronger Role | 2014 APA Annual Convention

there is not a gun violence problem; there are gun violence problems with different impacts
on different populations.

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R ELA TED

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In "Behavior"

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This entry was posted in Forensic Psychology, Guns, Violence by Lisa Bowen.
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