Contact: Bruce G. Link, PhD
(212) 928-0631
bgl1@columbia.edu

Public Strongly Associates Violence with Mental Illness

A majority of Americans believe that certain types of mental illnesses lead to violent behavior according to researchers at Columbia University and Indiana University. Results from the 1996 General Social Survey showed that most members of the general public recognize mental illness and hold relatively sophisticated views about the causes of these conditions.

"While there is reason for optimism in the public's recognition of mental illness and the causes of mental illness, a strong stereotype of dangerousness and desire for social distance persists," said Bruce G. Link, PhD, head of the study.

The national survey of 1,444 people measured public conceptions of mental illness, causes, dangerousness and social distance of five kinds of mental illness: alcohol dependence, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, cocaine dependence and a "troubled person." For every condition except cocaine dependence, more than 90 percent of the respondents believed stress was very or somewhat likely a cause. Many respondents felt that chemical imbalance in the brain and genetic factors are also important causes of mental illness. The results of the study appear in the current American Journal of Public Health.

Respondents were presented with various vignettes describing individuals with symptoms of mental illness. Participants were asked whether, based on the symptoms described, they believed that violence was likely.

The survey respondents felt that individuals described in the vignettes would potentially be violent. For descriptions of individuals who showed symptoms of substance abuse, 87 percent of the respondents felt that violence was likely, for alcohol abuse 71 percent, for schizophrenia 61 percent, and for depression 33 percent. However, only 17 percent of the respondents felt that the troubled person might be violent.

"Our results show a strong correlation between fears of violence and the willingness to interact," said Link. "We believe that at least some part of people's reluctance to engage in interaction is an exaggerated fear that symptoms of mental illness lead to violence with great regularity."

The General Social Survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, is funded by the Sociology Program at the National Science Foundation. The Mental Health Module of the General Social Survey, "Problem in Modern Living" was made possible from a grant from the MacArthur Foundation and by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association. For information regarding the journal, contact Francisca Letren at (202) 777-2436.