TODAY (5/27, Breen) reported, “In the aftermath of a mass casualty event” such as last week’s school shootings in Uvalde, TX, “blame swirls, often landing on…mental illness.” Research indicates, however, that “mental illness does not play a role in the vast majority of gun violence.” Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD, President of the American Psychiatric Association, stated, “When horrible events happen that are unfathomable to our minds, we look for answers, and so one answer is that there must be something terribly wrong to lead somebody to act in such a way.” Dr. Brendel added, “(But) what we know is that persons with mental illness are much less likely to commit acts of violence than others.” What does drive “mass casualty shootings and gun death, said…experts interviewed for this story, is access to guns.”
Related Links:
— “Is mental illness really driving gun violence in the US? Here’s what the research says “Kerry Breen, TODAY, May 27, 2022