Mental health articles

Mental Illness and Crime Facts Mental illness and crime
Certain kinds of mental illness may influence sufferers’ behaviour
in such a way that they do things that break the law.
These are typical examples:
• Violent behaviour can occur in people who are suffering from
severe mental disorders. For example, during a psychotic
phase, they may wander in public places, shouting at people.
Rarely, the mentally ill person may threaten or attack someone.
• Stealing is a crime associated with people who abuse drugs or
alcohol. The reason is simple: these people are stealing in order to get money to pay for their drug habit. In adolescents, stealing may be the result of conduct problems.
• Dangerous driving is associated with drinking too much alcohol and severe mental disorders.
However, if we look at the issue of mental illness and crime by asking the question “Do most people who commit crimes suffer from a mental illness?”, the answer is no. Thus, it is important that you do not treat people with mental illness as if they are potentially violent or likely to break
the law. The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent.

 

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Tags: crime, Illness, mental, mental illness