Debunking the Myth: Gun Violence and Mental Illness

By Liza H. Gold, a multidisciplinary team of experts tackles the timely and critical issue of gun violence and mental illness, providing an evidence-based review that sets the record straight.

In the wake of tragic mass shootings, a common misconception prevails: people with mental illness are violent and responsible for much of the gun violence in the United States. However, the reality is that approximately 65% of all firearm deaths each year are suicides. This book is an apolitical exploration of the misperceptions and realities surrounding gun violence and mental illness, reframing these pressing social issues as public health problems subject to various interventions on individual and collective levels.

A Comprehensive Guide to Gun Violence and Mental Illness

This reader-friendly book reviews the epidemiology of gun violence and its relationship to mental illness, examining what we know about those who perpetrate mass shootings and school shootings. It delves into the current legal provisions for prohibiting access to firearms for those with mental illness, assessing their effectiveness and potential to reinforce negative stereotypes associated with mental illness.

The authors also discuss the challenges of accessing mental health treatment, including diminished treatment resources, barriers to access, and involuntary commitment. Moreover, they explore novel interventions for addressing these issues from a multilevel and multidisciplinary public health perspective that does not stigmatize people with mental illness.

A Public Health Approach to Addressing Gun Violence

This comprehensive guide presents evidence-based interventions focusing on assessments and indicators of dangerousness, with or without indications of mental illness. It covers topics such as:

• Suicide risk assessment
• Increasing treatment engagement
• Legal, social, and psychiatric means of restricting access to firearms when people are in crisis
• Restoration of firearm rights when appropriate

Mental health clinicians and trainees will appreciate the risk assessment strategies presented, while mental health, public health, and public policy researchers will find this volume a thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to the field, eschewing sensationalism and embracing serious scholarship.

Published by American Psychiatric Publishing on November 17, 2015, this book is an essential read for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between gun violence and mental illness.

Language: English

ISBN: 9781585624980, 9781615370634