Exploring if Mental Illness Causes Mass Violence and Crime

This essay investigates the controversial link between mental illness and violence, particularly in the context of mass shootings. It acknowledges the prevalent belief that mental illness is a primary cause of such tragedies, often attributed to childhood trauma or psychiatric disorders. While the essay recognizes instances where mental illness has been a factor in violent acts, it also highlights the importance of avoiding generalizations and stereotypes, emphasizing that the vast majority of individuals with mental illness are not violent. The role of media in perpetuating the connection between mental illness and violence is discussed, along with research findings that both support and refute a direct causal relationship. The essay also considers the impact of unrecognized and untreated mental health conditions, the influence of abusive childhoods, and the diminished self-control associated with severe mental illness. Ultimately, the essay concludes that while a definitive causal link between mental illness and violence remains elusive, addressing untreated mental health issues and promoting awareness are crucial steps in preventing potential tragedies.

Running head: MENTAL ILLNESS CAUSES VIOLENCE
MENTAL ILLNESS CAUSES VIOLENCE
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Mass shooting has been an old vice of our social system. It is believed that these
tragedies take place primarily due to the mental illness or some trauma faced during the early life
of the shooter. The shooter gets pleasure killing so many people at one time. He feels powerful
and authoritative. It is often found that mass shooters have a history of psychiatric illness
(Leonard et al., 2014). Psychologists are of the opinion that these gunmen might have faced
some trauma in their early childhood that has left a deep impact in them. Thus, they feel that
society should get back what they had felt before. This essay argues that mental illness paves the
way for mass shooting and the people having mental illness have more chances of committing
acts of crime.
This essay states that child hood abuse or that of drug addiction can cause an individual
to face mental disorder that can propel an individual towards violence. Often history of
childhood abuse, drug addiction, loss of near and dear ones, encountering violence can lead to
severe psychological disorder. It has been observed that majority of the mentally ill people are
never diagnosed in their lifetime (Rogers & Pilgrim, 2014). Gunmen and shooters are mostly
diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. People with mental illness are also
vulnerable in taking their own life. However, some psychologists are often of opinion that not all
mentally ill people are engaged in mass killings as they have their own struggles and
vulnerabilities. It is wrong to say that only mentally ill people are shooters. Many believe that
criminals are made and not born criminals. The recent happening of Orlando massacre in
Orlando, Florida is one of the popular massacres in history (Zambelich & Hurt, 2018). A gunman
aged twenty-nine, open fired at a night club killing forty nine people and injuring at least fifty.
Another massacre that shook the entire world was the Paris attack on November 15, 2015
(BBC.com, 2018). It is considered as one of the deadliest attacks in the history of France. Several

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places were attacked including a concert, nightclubs and restaurants. One hundred and thirty
innocent people were brutally killed. The brutality of such attacks are ingrained on the minds of
the victims who survived the attacks.
However, it is illogical and partial to state the relationship between mental illness and
mass shooting incidents or gun violence committed by individuals as mentioned above. Even
though some of these happenings that have occurred in the past have been proved to be the
deadly work of people who were suffering from serious mental illness. However, no concrete
evidence have been established behind the motive or the factors that may trigger the convict to
engage in such violent act. In fact, it has been observed that people with serious mental illness
committing the tragic act of mass shooting is less than 1% of all yearly gun-related homicides
(Leonard et al., 2014). Furthermore, it has been observed that only 3% of individuals suffering
from serious mental illness are engaged or associated with the violent crimes such as mass
shooting, gun violence and so on (Jones, 2013).
This essay points out that media plays an important role in linking mental disorder with
that of the gun violence. According to McGinty, Webster & Barry (2013), the media is heavily
responsible behind this stereotypical assumption of establishing the link between mental disorder
and gun violence incidents. Although there have been certain researches conducted upon the
factors that may have triggered such mass shooting incidents. The findings of the researches are
not valid enough to find out the concrete evidence to establish a relationship between mental
illness and mass shooting incidents. On the other hand, a study conducted upon approximately
185 mass shooting incidents, criminologist Grant Duwe found out that approximately 59% of
people that have committed a crime of mass shooting or similar from the period of 1900 to 2017

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have been suffering from mental illness or has shown signs of such illness before committing
such criminal act (Llorente, 2018).
This essay states that mental illness often goes unrecognized that causes an individual to
inflict violent acts. In addition to this, it has been also observed that majority of times the convict
may show signs of such mental disorder before committing the crime. However, these signs go
unrecognized or undiagnosed by the general public eye. Henceforth, there have been many
health advisory messages issued by the government that raises the issue of mental illness and its
awareness among the general public. In addition to this, the link between mental illness and mass
shooting have been publicized by the media heavily. It has been also observed that the intensity
of mental illness significantly influences an individual’s self-control (Flannery, Modzeleski &
Kretschmar, 2013). Since the diagnosis of mental illness goes unrecognized most of the time, the
untreated medical condition as such puts a greater risk of individuals increased level of mental
illness. The severe level of mental illness is considered to be linked with unpredictable actions of
the individual and lack of self-control as well. According to Fox & DeLateur (2014), individuals
suffering from untreated mental disorder are likely to trigger unpredictable act which often lead
to committing such violent actions such as mass shooting. The ability to control the different
emotions is majorly diminished in such individuals and as a result of them triggers violence
streak in them.
This essay states that abusive childhood causes the children to suffer from mental
disorder that makes an individual commit the aberrant acts. It has also been observed that
individuals suffering from a troubled childhood or abusive early childhood may develop the
signs of mental disorder which ultimately contributes in committing such serious violent
activities (Stein, 2013). According to Stuber et al., (2014) the early childhood period is extremely

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crucial for any individual to develop social behaviorism. Henceforth, people suffering from
abusive childhood or troubled childhood seem to develop certain emotions that triggers them to
engage or associate themselves in violent activities in future or in their youth. These triggers in
future may contribute them to commit in such violent activities.
Henceforth, from the above discussion it can be said that the link between mental illness
and violent activities such as massacre shooting incidents does not specifically establish any
concrete evidence. The studies conducted upon between the two shows certain factors that link
the two with each other. However, it can be also said from the above discussion that mental
illness cannot always be related to be the cause of committing such violent criminal act. The
signs of mental illness being undiagnosed and untreated may however lead to trigger an
individual to commit or engage in such criminal activities.

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References
BBC.com, (2018), Paris attacks: What happened on the night. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34818994
Flannery, D. J., Modzeleski, W., & Kretschmar, J. M. (2013). Violence and school
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Fox, J. A., & DeLateur, M. J. (2014). Mass shootings in America: moving beyond
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Jones, P. B. (2013). Adult mental health disorders and their age at onset. The British Journal of
Psychiatry, 202(s54), s5-s10.
Leonard, C. H., Annas, G. D., Knoll IV, J. L., & Tørrissen, T. (2014). The case of Anders
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Llorente, E. (2018). How prevalent is mental illness in mass shootings?. Retrieved from
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Rogers, A., & Pilgrim, D. (2014). A sociology of mental health and illness. McGraw-Hill
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Stein, A. (2013). Prologue to violence: Child abuse, dissociation, and crime. Routledge. 161-
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Stuber, J. P., Rocha, A., Christian, A., & Link, B. G. (2014). Conceptions of mental illness:
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Zambelich, A. and Hurt, A. (2018). NPR Choice page. [online] Npr.org. Available at:
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