Medical Lab Technician Schools

We often hear mental instability being cited by the defense counsel as the reason why a violent crime was committed, an erroneous belief that has given rise to the buzz that if you’re mentally unsound, you’re prone to become violent. But this is far from the truth; in fact, people with no history of any kind of mental illness are just as likely to commit violent crimes like rape, murder and assault, as the mentally ill are.

A recent study conducted at the University of North Carolina has said that mental illness alone was not a predictor of violence. But when it is combined with other factors like alcohol and drug abuse, the tendency to commit a crime is enhanced threefold. Even so, the combination of mental illness and substance abuse ranks only ninth in the list of the top ten predictors of violence, much behind youth, history of juvenile detention, violence and physical abuse, parental criminal history, and unemployment.

So why then do we see insanity being used as a plea by the defendant in court? Probably because it’s the only way he or she has at least a slim chance of acquittal in a case where the crime is particularly vicious and violent. We hear insanity again when people turn randomly violent and go on shooting sprees before turning the gun on themselves and committing suicide. In short, insanity is blamed for any crime that cannot be explained in a rational manner.

Yes, people who are mentally ill and subject to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression have been known to commit crimes that are violent. And according to the American Psychiatric Association, a small subgroup of people with severe and persistent mental illness is at the risk of becoming violent. But with treatment and adherence to the prescribed medication, these people are as likely to commit a crime as you and I are. Besides, there are certain triggers that instigate mentally ill people to become violent. And among these, low socioeconomic status, social stress, social isolation, poor self esteem and personality problems rank among the highest inducers of violence.

But the general misconception is that anyone who is mentally unstable is prone to violence. And this leads to violence against the mentally-ill. Ironically, they become the victims because people fear them becoming the perpetrators. Yes, it is insane when people commit violent crimes. But that does not mean that the person who committed the crime is mentally unstable. Crimes are either planned beforehand with cold-blooded calculations or they’re those of passion where emotions run high and prevail over your better senses. And if you’re able to map out a plan of action, it shows your brain cells are all in the right places and wired correctly.

We need to therefore stop this perception that people who are mentally ill are a threat to society at large. It only leads to their persecution and helps in building a bias against them. And the only way we can do this is to arm ourselves with the knowledge needed to treat the mentally ill with the consideration they deserve.