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Katrina Pope

Prof. Lahmon

English 1101

16 July 2020

The Media on Mental Illness

We rely on the media for updates and information on current events. With

so much happening in the world, it is important for everyone to stay up to date and

informed. Sometimes it becomes difficult to sift through the news to find information that

is necessary for us to know and is also unbiased. This includes cases in which mental

health disorders are mentioned. At what point does that information become pandering

to the stigma that is already heavy over the heads of those who suffer? I believe that,

unless there is a direct link between mental illness and the violent crime that the news is

reporting on, there should be no mention of said mental illness.

First, let’s take a look at how the general population perceives mental

illness and the myths that surround those beliefs. A social and political commentator,

Ann Coulter, is quoted on January 16th, 2013 as saying, “Guns don’t kill people, the

mentally ill do.” (Are People with Psychiatric Disorders Violent?). Sadly, this is a view

that many people have when it comes to violence and the mentally ill. In 2006 a national

survey showed an average of 60% of Americans believing that people with

schizophrenia were likely to be violent and 32% felt the same about people with major

depression (Mental Illness and Violence). The public has a tendency to see the mentally

ill as violent or unpredictable. However, according to MentalHealth.gov, only around 3-

5% of violent crimes are committed by individuals with a serious mental illness, and they
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are actually 10 times more likely to be the victims of these types of crimes (Mental

Health Myths and Facts). They are also 10-20 times more likely to commit suicide than

homicide. These statistics go against the general preconception that mental illness is a

fast track to violence. Though some mass murderers show signs of paranoia or

depressive and grandiose personality traits, less than 1% of homicides are attributed to

them. This shows that there is no compelling evidence that elevated levels of serious

pathology are displayed in perpetrators of these crimes. Because of this, “there are

better reasons for improving mental health care, including those that do not stigmatize

patients. There are also better strategies for reducing violence.” (Are People with

Psychiatric Disorders Violent?)

As a result of deinstitutionalization that began in 1960, many people with

mental illness were forced onto the streets and are now arrested and sent to prison in

disproportionate numbers. These individuals are usually arrested for petty crimes

(jaywalking, wandering behavior, etc.) and because there is a severe lack of awareness

and resources among police officers in regards to handling those with mental illness. A

study showed that 12% of adult psychiatric patients that were receiving treatment in the

San Diego County health system had been incarcerated. This same study showed 28%

of Connecticut residents that were being treated for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

had been arrested or detained. Potentially, this lack of staffing and training in the court

systems is the reason for mentally ill individuals being an ever-larger fraction of those

that are in the jail and prison population. The end result to this, and the fact that some

psychiatric illnesses cause behaviors seen as antisocial or criminal, is the false

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misconception that there is a casual relationship between mental illness and criminal

behavior (Psychiatric Illness and Criminality).

Some people may feel that it is necessary to mention mental illness when

a crime is committed with arguments of “knowing more about the individual could

humanize them,” or “it is important to know which mental illnesses may lead to criminal

behavior.” An analysis of eight news publications from the United States documented

the prevalence of stigma frames (which perpetuate stereotypes in regards to

schizophrenia), and stigma-challenge frames (that contradicted such stereotypes)

showed that there is a strong correlation between the way that the media presents

information about mental illness and the way the general public perceives it. In all, 558

articles related to schizophrenia were examined, along with the reader's comments on

each. “Stigma frames were prevalent in the sample, suggesting the news media

continues associating schizophrenia with violent and criminal behavior.” Reader

commentary included degrading comments such as “The contry (sic) has plenty of crazy

people with potential for violence.” (Schizophrenia in the News: The Role of News

Frames in Shaping Online Reader Dialogue about Mental Illness.) Another study on the

media and mass shootings showed a direct link between the subject material and what

the public searches for most. In the study, they found that mass shootings occurred

closer together depending on the attention that the last had received. (What Have We

Learned from the Time Trend of Mass Shootings in the U.S.?)

But what about the population of mentally ill individuals that do commit a

violent crime? A study of the Indiana state prison system showed that a total of 1,397

individuals were incarcerated for homicide. Of the random sample size of 723 inmates
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examined, 528 were shown to have sufficient evidence to ascertain whether or not they

suffered from psychiatric diagnosis. Within those 528 individuals, 10.2% were

diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or some other psychotic disorder that

was not associated with drug abuse. Additionally, 42 inmates were previously

diagnosed with mania or a major depressive disorder. This gave them a total of 95

inmates out of the 518 having a psychiatric diagnosis. This is only 18.3% of the sample

size of inmates being housed for homicide in Indiana. An important note to this study is

that it did not include individuals who had been found incompetent to stand trial, or not

guilty by reason of insanity. This makes the estimated 10% of homicides being

associated with psychiatric disorders conservative (1,000 Homicides by Mentally Ill).

It is very easy to see how the public can obtain negative feelings in

regards to mental illness and those that suffer. I have been asked numerous times if I

am ever afraid of my husband because he has schizophrenia. These misconceptions do

not just hurt those who suffer from mental illness. They also hurt their loved ones. The

stigma surrounding mental illness trickles down to the children of the mentally ill,

causing ridicule and bullying. People are afraid to speak up about their own, or their

loved one’s mental health. By unnecessarily mentioning that a violent criminal was

mentally ill, it strengthens that stigma and gives those who hold it validation for their fear

and bias. It is time to end the stigma of mental health and psychiatric disorders. Their

battle with their own mind is never-ending and traumatic. We all need to do our part and

research what it means when someone is mentally ill. A great place to start is by going

to www.nami.org (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and reading more about mental

illness. Together, we can end the stigma.

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Works Cited

Ghiasi, Norman; Azhar, Yusra; Singh, Jasbir. “Psychiatric Illness and

Criminality.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 6 April 2020,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537064/

Gwarjanski, Anna Rae, and Scott Parrott. “Schizophrenia in the News: The Role of

News Frames in Shaping Online Reader Dialogue about Mental Illness.” Health

Communication, vol. 33, no. pp.954-961.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10410236.2017.1323320. 8, August 2018

Harvard Mental Health Letter. “Mental Illness and Violence.” Harvard Health Publishing,

health.harvard.edu, January 2011,

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/mental-illness-and-violence

Jaffe, DJ. “1,000 Homicides by Mentally Ill.” Mental Illness Policy Org. Unbiased

Information for Policymakers + Media,

https://mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/1000-homicides.html

Leyton, Marco PhD. “Are People With Psychiatric Disorders Violent?” National Center

for Biotechnology Information, 24 April 2020,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019348/

Lin, Ping-I., et al. “What Have We Learned from the Time Trend of Mass Shootings in

the U.S.?” PLoS ONE. Vol. 13. No. pp. 1-

13 EBSCOhost. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0204722. 10, October 2018

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MentalHealth.gov. “Mental Health Myths and facts.” MentalHealth.gov Let’s Talk About

It, 29 August 2017, https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/mental-health-myths-

facts