People who suffer from severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia are not likely to be violent unless they are also a substance abusers, according to a study from the University of North Carolina.
- Dr. Eric Elbogen and his colleagues went through the records of 34,653 people from a government health survey conducted in 2003.
- Three years later, the researchers checked whether these people had engaged in violence, including sexual assaults, attacks with guns or knives, arson, or physical fighting.
- Those who suffered from severe mental illnesses but did not abuse substances were not at higher risk to committing violence.
- However, the combination of substance abuse plus mental illness put a person at three times the risk for violence.
"The reality is you still have people with mental illness who do commit violent acts," said Dr. Elbogen. "There is a relationship [between mental illness and violence] but it's much weaker than most people think."
If you or someone you love is struggling with mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse (also known as dual diagnosis), know a range of treatment options are available to you.
Labels: violence, substance use, dual diagnosis, mental health
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