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Please stop conflating mental illness and violence [1]

['More From Author', 'October', 'Sue Abderholden']

Date: 2023-10-05

The first week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week, which Congress established to educate people about mental illnesses. Although there is greater understanding now about mental illnesses than when Congress passed the law in 1990, we aren’t there yet. Myths and misinformation still circulate, and our language around mental illnesses continues to be disrespectful.

One huge myth is that mental illnesses and violence are linked. While people point to the percentage of people in jail or prison that live with a mental illness, the incarcertated people are more likely to be there for nonviolent crimes that are connected to their symptoms. For example, someone who is paranoid could be arrested for trespassing, while someone talking loudly to the voices they hear could be arrested for disturbing the peace. Studies have found that there are other factors that influence violent behavior that are not connected to mental illness. In other words, it’s more complicated than simply having a mental illness. In fact, people with serious mental illnesses are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

The reason it’s important to de-couple mental illness and violence is that the linkage can prevent someone from seeking treatment. A young person hearing voices might be reluctant to share this because people will think they could be violent.

The average length of time between experiencing symptoms and seeking treatment is 10 years. Even for young people experiencing psychosis it’s about a year and a half. Because of the mistaken linkage between mental illness and violence, we enable discrimination, while people experiencing symptoms rightly fear that discrimination. When people think someone could be violent based on their mental illness, will they hire that person? Rent to them?

Now let’s consider language. NAMI Minnesota has an exercise that we use in one of our presentations where we ask people to share all the slang words for mental illnesses. They offer up “crazy,” “deranged,” “psycho,” or “nuts”— among many others. We then ask for them to share the slang words for heart disease or diabetes. Of course, there are none. Words are powerful and have an impact.

Civil and human rights movements have worked to change the words we use. For example, we don’t call adult women in the workplace “girls,” and we don’t use the “r” word for people with intellectual disabilities. We need to start thinking about the powerful impact that words have on people who are struggling with their symptoms, isolation and a mental health system that remains unbuilt. As Brené Brown has written, dehumanization starts with language.

We are even moving away from using the word “stigma” because it doesn’t adequately reflect the experience of people with mental illnesses. It’s discrimination — not stigma — that has led so many people with mental illnesses to be homeless or unemployed. It’s discrimination — not stigma — that leaves people boarding in the emergency room, not able to access the care they need. And it’s discrimination — not stigma— that has resulted in private health insurance not embracing mental health parity.

During Mental Illness Awareness Week, NAMI Minnesota encourages people to educate themselves about mental illnesses and suicide prevention. Think about the language you use to describe someone with a mental illness. Think about the impact your words or jokes can have on someone living with a mental illness and their families.

When we talk about health care conditions, we use words denoting strength. People battle cancer. They face ALS with courage. They have determination when they break their spinal cord.

We should be using those words — battle, courage, determination — when it comes to mental illnesses as well.

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[1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/10/05/please-stop-conflating-mental-illness-and-violence/

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