N Eng J Med (1-28-13): Since Newtown, 76.9% in US unwilling to have mentally ill person a neighbor

Nearly two months after the Newtown school massacre, there remains no confirmation that Adam Lanza was mentally ill. Nonetheless, public and political attention has coalesced around the view that the 'seriously' mentally ill should be the focus of solving the ‘people problem’ behind gun violence. This perception does not comport with the prevailing beliefs of experts on violence by the mentally ill, who argue that this focus on serious mental illness is misplaced and will do little to reduce gun violence. Experts point to other factors particularly intoxication and alcohol and drug abuse as more important.

The data presented below is exerpted from a table partially summarizing a survey that the New England Journal of Medicine’s just published on public attitudes about mental illness and gun control which may be helpful in understanding both American sentiments about mental illness and the concerns of persons interested in shielding from discrimination the mentally ill.

It suggests that Americans hold ambivalent opinions regarding mental illness, but by large margins prefer distancing themselves from the mentally ill in the work place and neighborly associations.

It also suggests that people have less belief in the importance of substance abuse as a contributor to social violence and and support addressing it less than mental illness. That result is inverted with respect to known statistical contributions of substance abuse and mental illness to social violence.

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Link to NEJM article:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1300512?query=featured_home&

The following is exerpted from Table 2. In this data, experience with mental illness means that one of the following--the respondent, a family member, relative or close friend--had been hospitalized or counseled for mental illness OR had received a prescription drug to treat mental health or drug or alcohol abuse. The term ‘serious mental illness’ was not defined for the participants. The survey was given between 2 Jan and 14 Jan, overall N = 1530, significance of difference in comparison of experienced and unexperienced respondents, * p< 0.05., ** p<0.001.


People with serious mental illness are, by far, more dangerous than the general population? ( % agree)
Overall:45.6
With experience (n=752): 44.8
Sans experience (n=765): 46.3

Locating a group home or apartment for people with mental illness in a residential neighborhood
endangers the local residents? (% agree)
Overall: 32.8
With experience: 30.1
Sans experience: 33.5

Would you be willing to have a person with serious mental illness start working closely with you on a job? (% willing)
Overall: 28.6
With experience: 35.2
Sans experience: 22.0 ** (on edit I had these reversed as first posted)

Would you be willing to have a person with a serious mental illness as a neighbor? (% willing)
Overall: 33.1
With experience (n=752): 39.9
Sans experience (n=765): 26.3 **

Would you like to see more gov. spending on mental health treatment? (% more)
Overall:58.6
With experience (n=752): 68.6
Sans experience (n=765): 49.0 **

Do you favor more increasing gov. spending on drug and alcohol treatment? (% favor)
Overall:38.5
With experience (n=752): 45.4
Sans experience (n=765): 32.2 **

Do you favor more gov. spending on mental health screening and treatment as a strategy to reduce gun violence? (% favor)
Overall: 60.6
With experience (n=752): 66.8
Sans experience (n=765): 54.8 **

Do you favor more gov. spending on drug and alcohol abuse screening and treatment as a strategy to reduce gun violence? (% favor)
Overall:45.7
With experience (n=752): 49.5
Sans experience (n=765): 41.7 *

Do you agree that discrimination against people with mental illness is a serious problem? (% agree)
Overall:58.2
With experience (n=752): 66.4
Sans experience (n=765): 49.8 **

Do you agree that most people with mental illness can, with treatment, get well and return to productive lives? (% agree)

Overall:55.9
With experience (n=752): 63.2
Sans experience (n=765): 48.9 **