When Assessing Attacks Mental Illness Should Not Be Sole Focus

Advocates for those who suffer from mental health issues say a lot of blame is misplaced. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has abundant evidence showing that people with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of violence as opposed to being the source.

In light of recent attacks, Wendy Giebink (GEE-bink) of NAMI South Dakota feels that more than a diagnosis should be considered. “We get confused because (of a medical history probe) that shows a person was suffering from depression or schizophrenia. We just sort of lump that into a cause. I think we miss some of the other contributing factors and we miss the nuances of how did mental illness actually play into that act.”

Giebink does sympathize with trying to rationalize the irrational. “It’s because we don’t understand how someone could carry out an act of violence. It’s easy to pin it on something that’s convenient. We’re missing something when we do that.”

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Nationwide, around three to five percent of very violent acts are carried out by people living with a mental illness. Giebink says research shows contributing factors such as substance abuse, poverty, patterns of violence and access to weapons should all be considered when studying aggressive behavior.