X-posted in MHSG...Mental Illness and Violence...a link to an online professional review

I'm posting this for anyone who may want to get into what the psychiatric profession thinks about the topic rather than the fragmented sometimes biased, often minimally informed opinion currently "liberally" applied in other forums.

This is a review intended for members of the psychiatric industry. So it's technical, and it's over 10 pages long. As a review article it considers a wide range of subtopics and highlights and provides citations for significant papers that are likely to be cited in more recent and future work on those specific areas. The review includes works often cited when referencing the risk the mentally ill pose to society and more specifically caregivers.

Although it's a technical article, for the most part it's language is generally accessible, particularly for people who have already spent time learning some of the details about about mental illness that impacts them or their families.

It does not focus on the psychology of mass murder or gun violence.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686644/

Violence and Mental Illness

Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2008 May; 5(5): 34–48. PMCID: PMC2686644

Marie E. Rueve, MD and Randon S. Welton, MD, LT COL, USAF

From the Summary:

...We can conclude from the information in this review that individuals with mental illness, when appropriately treated, do not pose any increased risk of violence over the general population. Violence may be more of an issue in patients diagnosed with personality disorders and substance dependence. The overall impact of mental illness as a factor in the violence that occurs in society as a whole appears to be overemphasized, possibly intensifying the stigma already surrounding psychiatric disorders. Violence and mental illness are not without connection, however, as they share many biologic and psychosocial aspects.