Gun Violence and Mental Health: Understanding the Relationship

This essay examines the intricate relationship between gun violence and mental health, focusing on the impact of mental disorders on violent behavior and the societal factors that exacerbate this issue. It explores how gun ownership, social stigmas, and the influence of gun collectives contribute to violence. The research delves into the historical association of mental illness with violence, analyzing studies that correlate psychiatric disorders with increased crime rates. The essay also discusses the role of drug use, social conditions, and the availability of firearms in predicting and influencing gun violence. The conclusion emphasizes the need to understand the complex interplay of mental health and societal factors to address and mitigate gun violence, highlighting the direct correlation between increased gun violence and psychiatric diseases.

Running head: GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH
GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH
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Abstract
The paper will be focusing on identifying the concretion between mental disorders and gun
violence that is prevalent in different parts of the world. The research will be identifying the
different situations that leads to the behavioral changes in the people and thereby results to
violence. The purpose of undertaking the research is to identify the different aspects through
which the mental illness in people is connected to the gun violence.

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GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH
1. Introduction
Gun violence and the development of the ammunition technologies has resulted to
different issues in the social and cultural elements in most of the countries including USA. It has
been noted that the relative number of deaths, as per the world mortality statistics has referred to
the growth of gun violence in the societies. On the other hand, Joseph (2014) stated that the
problem with gun violence is basically dependent on the mental illnesses that are faced by the
people in the different parts of the world. The discussion will be aiming at evaluating the direct
link between gun violence and mental illnesses that are affecting the lifestyle of the people.
1.1 Thesis statement
The higher level of violence in the US has resulted to increase in the Gun ownership. On the
other hand, the in reased amount of mental illness among the people has resulted to
maximization of the violence rates.
1.2 Purpose of the research
The purpose of undertaking the research is based on the identification of the direct link
between the mental illness and gun violence. Te research will be evaluating the effects of human
stigma and psychiatric disorders in influencing violence in the societies. The perception of the
people and different psychiatric disorders results to the growth of gun violence in the different
region of the world.

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2. Review
2.1 Influence of Gun Collectives on the mental health of the people
The influence of Gun collectives and dialogues relating to gun ownership is an emerging
issue that is being faced by the social structures. On the other hand, the different association of
the people in different gun collectives has stimulated the violence in their minds. The influence
of the dialogues that are created by the gun developers for attracting the attention of their target
market has influenced the stigma of the same relating to violence. The development of different
films like Mafia and other shootout- based movies that portray violence affects the mental health
of the people. On the other hand, the family background of the people and the different
circumstances that are faced by the same has resulted to psychiatric disorders in the people.
Moreover, the emergence of the different social issues relating to political unrest and violence is
supported by the different activities that are undertaken by the people to collect guns. The
implementation of Erikson's psychological needs theory will be helping to identify the different
psychological needs of the people in different stages of their lives (Blithe & Lanterman,
2017). The legislation of different nations relating to providence of license to the public for
utilizing guns for their personal safety has also influenced the growth of gun violence and
different other illegal functions. Leyton (2018) stated that in most of the cases the public
shootouts and firearm sales has resulted to the growth of corruption in the societies. The un
shows and slogans relating to the collectables has affected the stigma of the people and thereby
resulted to an growing influence of the same on the psychiatric nature of the same. The act of
violence is specifically based on the activities that are undertaken by the gun developers in
attracting the people to make a buy o their new designs. On the other hand, the gun collective
arsenal that is created by the gun developers has resulted to an increase in the maximization of

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violence in the different aspects (Metzl & MacLeish, 2015). The highest rate of firearms
homicides is found in US over the other nations. It has resulted to different psychiatric illnesses
among the people. The repeated event of stigma has affected the rate of firearm collectives
among the people, as they are fascinated with the power that is given to the same (Leyton,
2018). The legislative council of the nation has provided free license to the people so that they
might carry firearms for ensuring their personal safety. In this regards, the growth in the firearm
deals has affected the mental structure of the people as they believe that they were given the
ultimate power. The specific mentality of the people to bring forth anarchy in the social systems
has given rise to violence and affected the social law and justice along with the structure of the
same.
2.2 People suffering from Psychiatric disorders are mostly into violence
Metzl and MacLeish (2015) stated that the psychiatric disorders in the people relates to
the deformed mental growth and perception in the people. It has been researched that most of the
people with different psychiatric disorders are the root cause for relating violence in the
societies. Blithe and Lanterman (2017) also stated that around 10 to 20% of the people with
different mental illnesses are indulged in crimes. The basic criminology relates to the
psychological factors that leads a person towards crime. Moreover, the different aspects of
change in the behaviour of the people due to mental illnesses have resulted to socially
objectionable trait development in the same.
On the other hand, the mental illnesses in the humans give rise to emotions relating to
discrimination and a sense of isolation from society. It affects the mental setup of the people and
results to the exalting crime rates under different social systems. The inability of the people

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suffering from mental disabilities to correlate their position in the society results to the rising
crime rates (Joseph, 2014). On the other hand, the providence of guns to the paranoiac and
isolated humans might bring forth the emotion of changing the society on their own. It has also
resulted to the rise of the crime levels in the different nations. Metzl and MacLeish (2015) stated
that the identification of the mental issues that are faced by the people and limiting the access
over the guns will be helping the governments in minimizing the crime rates. The isolation and
deprived state of the individuals affects their respective mental and cognitive abilities that results
to the tendency of resorting to criminal activities. Leyton (2018) stated that the people that are
neglected in the societies are also affected by the different psychiatric illnesses and complexes
which affects their activities leading to maximization of crime rates. The wide spread mental
disorders like schizophrenia and split personality has affected the mental growth and cognitive
abilities in the people resulting to the rise of criminal activities.
2.3 Historical association of mental illness with violence
The ECA study has enumerated the growth of violence among specific demography that
constitutes of younger individuals and males with lower socioeconomic status (Blithe &
Lanterman, 2017) . The studies have helped in identifying the status and the origin of the growth
of the crime rates in the different sub-continents. The studies have also enumerated the manner in
which the history of crime rates has helped in enhancing the cognition of the crime rates that the
future generations might hold. Leyton (2018) stated that there is an increasing amount of
correlation between the rising crime rates with the mental illnesses of the people. On the other
hand, the growth of the gun violence depended on the provisions that are made by different
governments to provide license to public to carry firearms for their personal security. The
ailments like schizophrenia and isolation might create a situation where people feel depressed

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and inferior to the social status that is being carried by the others. The provision of carrying
firearms gives the people the right to apply power as per their needs. It has resulted to the growth
of the criminal activities. On the other hand, Blithe and Leyton (2018) stated that the
developments that are made by the social structures and the different circumstances that are
faced by the people has affected their mental growth. The identification of the history of gun
violence will be helping to predict the course of action in the context of the criminology.
2.4 Prediction of gun violence in society through Mental illness
The growth of mental illnesses in the society might also helps in predicting the future of
the crimes (Leyton, 2018). The excessive use of drugs and the depiction of violence in the
television shows has affected the psychological aspects of the people. On the other hand, the
different provisions for self defense that are provided by the governments and legislative bodies
in different nations affect the rates of crime. Joseph (2014) stated that the excessive utilization
of drugs in the Western countries has resulted to different mental diseases like superiority
complex, inferiority, complex, split personality and schizophrenia resulting to the growth of
violence.
On the other hand, Metzl and MacLeish (2015) stated that the changes in the social
structure and conditions relating to economic fluctuations has affected the mental health of the
people. Different activities like drug trafficking, murder and the like is influenced through the
changes in the social conditions. The identification of Erikson's psychological needs theory
helps in identifying the different stages in which the humans are affected through the crisis that
they face in their lives (Metzl & MacLeish, 2015). The identification of the different situations
that are faced by the people and thereby estimating the rate of mental illnesses that are faced by

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the same will be helping to identify the manner in which the crime rates will grow in different
demographics.
The identification of the relevant causes of gun violence in the present social structure is
based on the identification of the historical context of different psychological disorders in people.
On the other hand, the association of psychological disorders with the growing violence in the
society is based on the minimization of cognitive development of the people. The growing trend
of violence is based on the development of the national regulations in countries like US, which
does not restrict the ammunitions from the general public, thereby delivering enormous power in
the hands of the people.
3. Conclusion
Therefore, from the above research it can be concluded that the growth in the gun
violence and crime rates in the different nations are specifically based on the mental state of the
people. The different factors like drug intakes, circumstances faced by the individual and the
social structures influence the mental health of the people. The different factors are being
discussed in the research, which interlinks the concepts of gun violence with mental health of the
people. On the other hand, the research also enumerates the different predictions relating to the
growth of the crime rates through evaluation of the mental state of the people. Therefore, the
research has helped in understanding the direct correlation of increasing rate of gun violence
with the psychiatric diseases of the people.

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References
Blithe, S. J., & Lanterman, J. L. (2017). Camouflaged Collectives: Managing Stigma and
Identity at Gun Events. Studies in social justice, 11(1).
Joseph, A. J. (2014). A prescription for violence: The legacy of colonization in contemporary
forensic mental health and the production of difference. Critical criminology, 22(2), 273-
292.
Leyton, M. (2018). Are people with psychiatric disorders violent?. Journal of psychiatry &
neuroscience: JPN, 43(4), 180058-180058.
Metzl, J. M., & MacLeish, K. T. (2015). Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of
American firearms. American journal of public health, 105(2), 240-249.