Correlation Between Mental Illness And Crime

Even though we’ve made enormous strides as a society to become more accepting of others, mental illness is still an under-discussed issue. It is far more common than we think. The National Institute for Mental health estimated that up to one in four people suffer from it. Even with its prevalence, there is still a social stigma that encompasses it. There are so many stereotypes and misconceptions that come with mental illnesses. For example, people with bipolar disorder are often characterized as violent individuals who have no control over their emotions. Additionally, whenever there is a mass shooting, the media is always quick to blame it on one of two things: terrorism or a crazy person with a mental disorder. Because of this correlation, people more likely to equate Schizophrenia to violence. …show more content…
While the association between mental illness and crime is too strong, its correlation with suicide is too weak. In the US alone, nearly 45,000 thousand people die from suicide each year; it is estimated that nearly 90 percent of those people have depression or some other form of mental illness. While mental health is a growing problem in the United States, like most illnesses, it’s treatable. Emotional wellness is at the core of our physical health. Unless our brain is on board, the rest of the body can’t follow, no matter how hard we try to be healthy. Comparable to physical health, which Americans are seemingly obsessed, mental health requires daily