Depression and post‐traumatic stress

Running head: MENTAL DISORDER AND CRIME
MENTAL DISOREDR AND CRIME
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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MENTAL DISOREDR AND CRIME
The primary aim of the essay is to examine how socio-emotional factors leads to
mental disorder that ultimately results in committing crimes. It is essential to note that all
people suffering from mental disorder are not violent and most violent people do not suffer
from mental disorder. The essay is aimed at contributing as well as expanding the body of
knowledge about crime as well as mental disorder and at the same time link the association
between mental disorder and crime with some psychological theories that will help the
readers to understand the topic in a comprehensible manner (Auerbach et al., 2016). Next the
essay will discuss about some evidence based research that will help in understanding the link
between mental disorder and crime. The essay will further discuss about some mental health
problems that might lead to crime. The essay will not focus on only one type of mental health
disorder that leads to crime but a number of examples will be cited for a better understanding
of the argument.
Special relationship is a term that is used to explain the link between two contrary or
similar aspects that is both strong as well as essential. It clearly states the relationship
between two things that makes it easier for the readers to understand. Mental illness most
commonly known as mental health disorders refers to a number of mental health conditions
that affects the mood of a person, his/her thinking as well as behaviour (Priester et al., 2016).
Some common examples of mental health disorders include depression, anxiety, anxiety
disorder, additive behaviour and others. Mental health disorder can take place due to a
number of reasons such as severe psychological trauma that a person might experience during
his/her childhood (Priester et al., 2016). The trauma can be emotional, physical as well as
sexual abuse. Mental health disorder can also occur when the child is neglected at an early
stage of his life or when he experiences violence around him due to an abusive father or a
drug addict mother. Social isolation as well as loneliness to can lead to mental problems
(Mulder et al., 2018). Social problems such as poverty, discrimination, stigma debt are also

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MENTAL DISOREDR AND CRIME
factors that often leads to mental illness within a person (Portacolone et al., 2018). However,
it should also be noted that sometimes mental illness can be from the time of birth due to
complications at the time of pregnancy. Thus, mental health disorder is not always related to
social, emotional, psychological or environmental factors. However, when mental disorder is
caused by the above factors it often leads to crime as well as criminal behaviour.
Crime on the other hand is popularly explained as a social phenomenon because of the
way in which it is prohibited by the society, the way in which it helps in actualising the action
and the harmful as well as dangerous actions it provokes. The level as well as the effect of
crime on an individual is very hard to analyse as well as explain. The causes of crime are
quite complex (Santos, 2016). Some people are at a greater risk of acquiring criminal
behaviour because of the circumstances in which they are born. Crimes are of various types,
therefore the level of crime depends on the situation in which a person finds himself/herself.
Poverty, neglect from parents, low self-esteem, drug as well as alcohol addiction are reasons
why people commit crimes (Santos, 2016). These are same reasons that also leads to mental
health disorder within a person. Thus, it can be said that there is a special relationship
between mental health disorder as well as crime (Taylor, 2019). However, at the same time it
must be realised that sometimes people who are mentally sane as well as socially well-
established commits crime as it would cater to their needs.
After defining the concept and reasons of crime as well as mental health disorder the
essay now moves to some theories that will help in supporting the argument of the essay.
According to social learning theories people indulge in criminal activities because of their
association with people who are indulged in crime (Weisburd et al., 2018). The latter’s
criminal behaviour is reinforced on the former where he/she learn beliefs that are favourable
for the crime. The theory was propagated by Albert Bandura who said that people often learn
from other through observation, modelling as well as imitation (Akers & Jennings 2016).

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MENTAL DISOREDR AND CRIME
Social learning theory further states that people commit crimes as they want to imitate others
and be like them. This is again one kind of mental health disorder where the person suffers
from low self-esteem as well as confidence or want to become like others so that they can
gain the same appreciation as well as popularity (Akers & Jennings 2016). This type of
mental health often leads to crime as well as criminal activities. This type of crime is usually
committed by juveniles as they are every time exposed to new things. Family members as
well as friends are primary sources that has an impact on the mind of the adolescent (Akers &
Jensen 2017). Sometimes criminal behaviour is also learnt through media as well as
newspapers. Crime mostly takes place when there is lot of reinforcement and less
punishment. The former can be both positive as well as negative (Akers & Jensen 2017). This
types of mental health leads to crimes such as drug as well as alcohol addiction.
Moving ahead the theories of criminal behaviour best explains the special relationship
between crime as well as mental health disorder. Criminal behaviour theories believe that
there are three factors that cause crime- psychological, biological and social. Social factor is
the second reason for committing crime after psychological factor (Burke, 2017). One of the
social factors that also affect the mental health of a person is poverty. Poverty often leads to
mental health disorders like depression, anxiety disorder as well as psychological distress.
Due to poverty children are unable to be educated and they lack social manners that are
acceptable to the society (Sharkey, Besbris & Friedson 2016). Most of the time they are
either discriminated or avoided by socially superior people. This often leads to stress as well
as anxious behaviour that in turn gives rise to criminal behaviour such as theft, burglary,
murder and other violent crimes (Short, 2018). The stress, frustration as well as strain that is
experienced due to lack of financial stability that would help in meeting their basic needs as
well as fulfilling their desires make them more inclined to committing crimes. People with
poverty mostly indulge in crime as they do not have the basic education that is required from