SMI & Violence

Most individuals with serious mental illness are not dangerous, most acts of violence are committed by individuals who are not mentally ill, and people with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent acts.

It is also true, however, that violence is more common in people with serious mental illness, especially when psychosis with paranoia or “command hallucinations” are present.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that people with serious mental illness are three times more likely to be violent than the general population. When substance abuse, a previous history of violence, or nonadherence to medication is involved, the risk becomes much higher.

Suicide is the most common form of violence associated with mental illness, taking more than 40,000 lives a year in the United States. The barely 3% of the population with the most severe psychiatric diseases are also estimated to account for approximately 10% of all homicides, 20% of law enforcement officer fatalities, 29% of family homicides and as many as 50% of mass killings.

Treatment, including involuntary treatment, has been found to reduce the risk of suicide and violence, along with many other consequences of untreated mental illness. That’s one of the reasons the Treatment Advocacy Center is committed to making treatment for serious mental illness more accessible.

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