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Within several months, two high profile incidents committed by individuals with diagnoses of schizophrenia focused national attention on the issue of violence and individuals with mental illnesses in our communities. The tragic shooting incident on Capitol Hill, of which Mr. Russell Weston has been accused, and the allegations that Michael Lauder murdered his fiancé in New York, led the public to seek to understand and explain any relationship between mental illnesses and violent behavior. It is tempting and reassuring for us to try to identify some predictable explanation for violent behavior that is often random and senseless.

As inviting as it may be to blame individuals with mental illnesses for violence, it does a grave injustice to most of the people with serious mental illnesses who live in our communities and who pose no threat to themselves or others. Many people with schizophrenia tend to be isolated and withdrawn and more often than not are the victims of violence rather than the perpetrators. It has been reported that only three percent of all violent crimes are committed by people with serious mental illnesses (some say one in 100 people with schizophrenia may be violent). A diagnosis of schizophrenia or other serious and persistent mental illness is not a reliable predictor of violent behavior. In fact, it is difficult to predict with certainty who will become violent. While young males are more likely than others to be violent, research has shown that the only reliable predictor of violent behavior is previous history of violence in the same individual.

According to a recently published study by the MacArthur Foundation, people with mental illnesses are no more likely to be violent than the rest of the population, unless they abuse alcohol or drugs. According to the study, substance abuse symptoms significantly raise the rate of violence for individuals with or without a history of mental illness.

People with mental illnesses are only going to be stigmatized by the inappropriate suggestion that a diagnosis of illness is a predictable precursor to violent behavior. Today, with the advances of newer medications to control symptoms, most of the people who suffer from serious mental illnesses are able to lead successful and productive lives outside of institutional settings. It is critical that we not allow the emotional response to these horrible events to instigate a call to return to the days of institutional care as an easy solution to our fears. The key to successful community integration and self-sufficiency is for each community to provide a continuum of community-based support services.

At NMHA, our newest program initiative, Partners in CARE (Community Access to Recovery and Empowerment), is designed to promote exemplary practices in community-based systems of care for people with schizophrenia and other serious and persistent mental illnesses. We are committed to working within the MHA affiliate network to help local communities examine their resources and work collaboratively to develop state-of-the-art services that will promote recovery and independence.

We believe that a coordinated, comprehensive, integrated system with assertive community treatment should be the benchmark in all local communities, as well as the best strategy to help avoid future tragedies like the ones we have recently experienced.