Gun violence and mental illness: Study addresses perception vs. reality

The UCLA Newsroom

A new report, conducted by an international group of researchers and based on an analysis of dozens of studies, concludes that mental illness is not a strong predictor for committing gun violence. Much stronger risk factors include recent involvement with law enforcement for specific kinds of infractions, including domestic violence and driving under the influence. The researchers, who suggest that a risk-based approach to gun policy could prevent many attacks, hope that it could reduce self-inflicted violence as well. They note that six out of ten gun deaths in the United States are suicides. “The public mental health system in most states is woefully inadequate — fragmented, overburdened and underfunded,” said Jeffrey W. Swanson, lead author of the study and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine. “It shouldn’t be harder for a person in a suicidal mental health crisis to get treatment than to get a handgun.”