In “Op-Talk” in the New York Times (12/17), Anna North writes that according to a paper published in the American Journal of Public Health, “mental-health screening may not be the best way to prevent mass shootings — and expecting psychiatrists to identify potential shooters may do more harm than good.” In the paper, Jonathan M. Metzl, MD, PhD, and Kenneth T. MacLeish, PhD, “cite research showing that most gun violence isn’t committed by people who are determined to have mental illness — and that most people with mental illness don’t commit violence,” nor can psychiatrists even readily determine which patients may become violent.
Related Links:
— “Can Psychiatrists Stop Gun Violence?,” Anna North, New York Times, December 16, 2014.