Columbine. Virginia Tech. Washington D.C. Aurora. Newtown. San Ysdiro. San Bernardino. Orlando. Charleston. Thousand Oaks. Virginia Beach. Las Vegas. Parkland. El Paso. Dayton. All these cities across the country have one main common factor: they were the locations of mass shootings. It seems like we hear about these shootings all the time.

People with mental illness do not typically commit violence

VMIAC

To commence, people who have mental illness, though being at a higher risk of violent behavior than those who do not have mental illness, are not usually violent individuals. In fact, the risk of violence for those who have mental illness is only 4%. When mentally ill people do act violently, it is usually against their own family members or someone close to them. A study documented in an article on gun violence and victimization of strangers, by Steadman and colleagues, followed 951 people in the '90s who had a serious mental illness after their discharge from hospitalization. Of those 951, 28% committed a violent act. Of the 28% who committed a violent act, 29% involved a weapon. A firearm was the weapon in 37% of such incidents. Of the violent acts involving firearms, only in 3% of cases where the relationship was known, were the victim and perpetrators strangers. So for this study, only 1% of the nearly 1000 severely mentally ill people committed an act of violence against a stranger with a gun. As this study demonstrates, along with other data, most mass shootings are a case of stranger violence. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in only about 3-5% of instances of overall violence is mental illness involved (2017). Drs. Curt and Anne Bartol, authors of Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, report that over 90% of people living with a mental disorder are not violent individuals. It is critical to remember this last fact: most mentally ill people are not violent.

But, certain types of mental illness have stronger correlations with violence

The Conversation

According to the MacArthur Research Network, there is a stronger correlation between having schizophrenia, particularly males with an early onset and consistent past of antisocial behavior, and committing violence. Additionally, men who have schizophrenia, as well as a substance use disorder (such as having drug addictions or suffering from alcoholism) are at a greater risk for violent behavior. However, only 11.3% of men and 2.3% of women who have a diagnosis of schizophrenia are perpetrators of violence. That is still a very small percentage of the entire population of those who have schizophrenia. Those who have mood disorders (such as depression), are the least likely to be violent.

Correlation does not equal causation

PMG

Just because two factors are correlated, does not mean that one causes the other. We cannot conclude that just because a person is mentally ill, that his or her mental illness is what caused them to commit a crime. It is important to note that in the case a mentally ill person does commit an act of violence, there are several other contributing factors, akin to those found in non-mentally ill violent offenders; for example, substance use, a past history of violence, stressors in life (loss of a loved one through death or divorce/breakup and loss of job being among the most prevalent), as well as a lack of empathy for others. In order for a factor to be proven to cause something, all other plausible explanations must be ruled out. There are plenty of other plausible explanations as to why an individual committed an act of violence. The Drs. Bartol write that school shooters in particular, are found to have experienced peer rejection (associated with bullying), trouble in school, and about half have a history of abusing animals, particularly pets, like dogs or cats. Notably, the Columbine shooters were bullied and targeted the "jocks", as they referred to popular students, during their attacks, and Nikolas Cruz, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooter was also bullied in high school. When people with violent tendencies feel isolated, insecure, and out of control, they target victims to make them feel superior and in control of their lives.

Insane or just disturbed?

Armando Hasudungan

When we hear of events like the recent mass shootings, people often say "what kind of insane person would do something like that?" or refer to the mass shooter as a "lunatic", for example. However, legally, they may not be insane. In essence, the legal definition of insanity is whether or not that person knows right from wrong, and whether or not they are rational and in control of their actions. Premeditation is a major indicator that the shooter was thinking rationally. For example, the El Paso shooter thought to wear ear protection so that his ears would not be affected by the sound of gunfire as he calculatingly and coldly slaughtered a score of people. The truth is, most of these people are not insane- at least not by the legal definition. Rather, they are different from most people, in that they have a complete and utter disregard for life, suffering, and pain, and lack empathy. These people are not psychotic, they are disturbed in that they do not care about the sanctity of life. While there are psychotropic medications that can ameliorate the effects of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, for example, there is no such prescription that can evoke empathy or cease hateful, dehumanizing thoughts.

How media coverage affects perceptions

Common Sense Media

When there is a case of a mentally ill individual who has committed an act of mass violence, such as a shooting, the media focuses extensively on the topic. This intense and unrelenting media coverage leads us to falsely believe that the issue is greater than the reality, because it is magnified by appearing on every screen we see. Further, politicians will cling to a single, isolated incident. Acts of violence are emotionally charged events; fear runs high, and when we are bombarded with stories of what the media or politicians describe as "mentally ill" people randomly shooting strangers, we do not think rationally and consider all the other mentally ill people who are not shooting up public places. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in only about 3-5% of instances of overall violence is mental illness involved (2017). Remember, the media covers atypical events; incidents that due to their shocking or emotional nature, will garner public attention. These events are usually the most extreme- far from the reality.

Be kind to those who have a mental illness. There is so much toxic stigma surrounding mental illness that it is difficult for mentally ill people to seek help, because they are all too often falsely perceived as violent or dangerous, thanks to pervasive myths and stereotypes.