Mental Illness And Gun Violence

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is just one of many ways that people illegally obtain guns, alongside “straw purchases” which are by legally licensed but corrupt at-home gun salesmen. Throughout the 1970s, shootings were a rare occurrence and became more frequent in the 1980s, however, in the last two decades shootings have become far more common and deadly. While violence among individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses does occur, the focus should be on early identification of mental illness, proper diagnosis and treatment, overall education, and crisis support.
Individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses who are not seen as a direct threat to themselves or others should have an equal opportunity to protect themselves from violence.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, only 3-5% of violent crimes are committed by people diagnosed with a mental illness (Bhuyan). Research has shown that there is no direct link between mental health and gun violence excluding suicide, In fact, people ...

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to Better Health, stigma can cause many negative effects such as: feelings of shame or isolation, reluctance to reach out and ask for help or resources, lack of general understanding by family, friends, or the general population, fewer employment, housing, educational, and social opportunity, harassment or sometimes even physical violence (Stigma). Stigma and discrimination are not only harmful, but it also delays treatment and recovery for the individual, due to the fact that these negative ideals surrounding mental illness cause practitioners to focus less on the patient and more on the illness itself. According to the National Institute of mental health, over 45 million Americans ...

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