Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Politics of American Firearms

Abstract

Four assumptions frequently arise in the aftermath of mass shootings in the United States: (1) that mental illness causes gun violence, (2) that psychiatric diagnosis can predict gun crime, (3) that shootings represent the deranged acts of mentally ill loners, and (4) that gun control "won't prevent" another Newtown (Connecticut school mass shooting). Each of these statements is certainly true in particular instances. Yet, as we show, notions of mental illness that emerge in relation to mass shootings frequently reflect larger cultural stereotypes and anxieties about matters such as race/ethnicity, social class, and politics. These issues become obscured when mass shootings come to stand in for all gun crime, and when "mentally ill" ceases to be a medical designation and becomes a sign of violent threat.

The Link Between Mental Illness and Firearm Violence: Implications for Social Policy and Clinical Practice

“…Because an overwhelming percentage of people with mental illness are not violent, and because the occurrence of serious mental illness is relatively low, it is estimated that only about 4% of criminal violence can reasonably be attributed to mentally ill individuals (Metzl & MacLeish 2015, Swanson 1996). This means that even if all of the association between mental illness and violence could somehow be eliminated, we would still have to confront 96% of the violence in the United States (Swanson 2008, 2015).…”

“…Such Faustian bargains have foreseeable consequences, though, including increased stigma for mentally ill individuals and the diversion of necessary resources from better interventions (Rozel 2016). Policies intending to mitigate gun violence risk by narrowly focusing on the narrow intersection between mental illness and mass shootings will be intrinsically limited in scope and utility and may potentially disrupt effective elements of the mental health system (Appelbaum 2013, Metzl & MacLeish 2015). …”

Communicating about Mental Illness and Violence: Balancing Stigma and Increased Support for Services

“…In recent years, the SMI policy debate has revolved around a series of mass shootings in which SMI played a documented or alleged role (McGinty EE, Webster DW et al 2014, Metzl and MacLeish 2015). Public attention to SMI in the context of mass shootings has created a potential window of opportunity to increase public support for improving the mental health service system.…”

Three Perspectives on Mental Health Told through StoryCorps' “Liza Long and ‘Michael’”

“…In her essay, "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother" [1], Liza imagined her life resembling that of Lanza's mother, who was killed by her son prior to his violent rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 26 elementary school children and staff members dead. Lanza's untreated mental illness renewed the national debate on mental health and violence and the misconception of their connectedness [2].…”

“…In her essay, "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother" [1], Liza imagined her life resembling that of Lanza's mother, who was killed by her son prior to his violent rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 26 elementary school children and staff members dead. Lanza's untreated mental illness renewed the national debate on mental health and violence and the misconception of their connectedness [2].National coverage of mental health disproportionately focuses on violence, rarely exploring the lived experience of mental illness [3]. StoryCorps and online essay forums offer a different type of media, free from journalistic interpretation and capable of www.amajournalofethics.org 20 exploring the firsthand thoughts and feelings of those experiencing depression, mania, or anxiety as well as the experiences of those persons' loved ones.…”