The Washington Post (6/7, Johnson) “Wonkblog” reports that even though “people with mental illness were more likely to be arrested for violent crime than the general population over the study period, from 2002 to 2011,” a study published in the June issue of Health Affairs “found they actually had a slightly lower arrest rate for gun-related crimes.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after following some “81,704 adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression who were receiving treatment through the public behavioral health systems in two Florida counties.”
The Atlantic (6/7, Beck) points out that the study also “emphasizes that suicide, not homicide, is the major public health problem for” people with mental health disorders who possess firearms.
Related Links:
— “The problem with trying to solve gun violence by going after the mentally ill,” Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, June 7, 2016.