[psych/clin, law/gov, socjust, Patreon] Violence and Mental Illness: How Not to Do Social Justice

[siderea]

This post has moved to https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1233164.html

Comments

Comment Catcher: Violence and Mental Illness: How Not to Do Social Justice

[siderea]

Comment catcher comment for catching comments.

Re: Comment Catcher: Violence and Mental Illness: How Not to Do Social Justice

[heron61]

Thank you for helping me understand an issue that I previously too often ignored.

[m_danson]

Thanks

Re: Comment Catcher: Violence and Mental Illness: How Not to Do Social Justice

[nancylebov]

Some versions of "mental patients are less likely to be violent than the other people-- in fact mental patients are more likely to be victims of violence" include an exception for paranoid schizophrenics, but I don't think I've heard that lately. Also (and aside from your point that there are many other mental problems which can make a person violent), I've never seen anyone who says that talk about how paranoid schizophrenics should be treated.

I'm interested in anything you want to say about how people who are violently mentally ill should be treated, but that's probably at least one article.

It might be more respectability politics, but do you have any opinions about what proportion of people who are in jail for violent offences are both innocent of those offences and generally not violent people?

I know someone who's inclined to believe that spree (mass?) killing is mostly done people who who've either gone off off their SSRIs or had their SSRI prescription changed. Is this plausible?

[luckylefty]

What's the nature and reason of the taboo on a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder? Not intending to derail, since this was far from the focus of the post, so feel free to ignore or answer in a different post.

[siderea]

It's not a taboo. AsPD is widely considered (rightly or wrongly, I can't say) the most dangerous diagnosis, where violence is concerned. It's often conflated with sociopathy, but I actually think they're different. ETA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder

I give my supervisor white hair, as it is, with the high-risk cases on my caseload.

[403]

It's often conflated with sociopathy, but I actually think they're different.

If you ever feel like writing that essay, I'd very much like to read it.

[siderea]

Actually, that one's really concise: AsPD as described in the DSM seems to be describing people who have trouble telling that other people will object to ill treatment, or what in an earlier time was referred to as "moral imbecility". This is at striking odds with the conception of a sociopath as someone who knows exactly where the line is and is good at avoiding getting caught.

ETA: I'm on the side that thinks it's likely that sociopaths have excellent senses of empathy.

[atheist_cheese]

I ask this with all good intent, and agreeing that the best course of action is to set up a system that meaningfully supports all vulnerable people, even ones who themselves have harmed, harm or are inclined to harm others. I also ask this as a nursing student who is trying to decide if working in mental health is for me:

where is the line between mental illness and personal responsibility? All your example scenarios were fairly, hm, clear cut? How about someone who is mentally ill and abuses their SO/spouse in a way that is connected to their mental illness? (Abuse can of course, come from people who aren't mentally ill, and certainly people like Lundy Bancroft seem to insist that most of it Is Not At All Related, but that's another thing). Am I doing some false conflating here? I get the feeling there's something I'm not getting here.

[siderea]

These are good questions, thank you for asking them. I hope to get to them soon. I can't right now, but I wanted to let you know I got them and certainly want to reply.

[anonymous]

Over 50% of state jurisdiction prisoners are serving sentences for violent crimes

Hi! I found this totally shocking. Honestly, I'm still having trouble believing it after verifying it with your link. Thank you for sharing it.

You mentioned a source of underreporting -- what do you think about potential overreporting? For example, if someone sells weed to their friend while possessing a gun (even if it's never wielded), that's considered "violent crime" as I understand it.

[siderea]

For example, if someone sells weed to their friend while possessing a gun (even if it's never wielded), that's considered "violent crime" as I understand it.

I believe that's mistaken - I welcome correction here, I am uncertain. If one lawfully possesses a firearm, and you're found to have it on you legally in the course of committing a drug infraction, I don't think that is grounds for a separate charge.

When you hear about gun possession charges, it's because the firearm was possessed or carried illegally. The big category I encountered was felons in possession. Once you've been found guilty of a felony, you're forbidden by federal law from possessing "any gun or ammunition"; there are exceptions.

I don't know if that's included in the "violent crime" data, above; I wish I knew!

The other category I encountered was gun runners, i.e. smugglers and dealers of illegal firearms. I don't know if they're included or not.

One class I know is included under "violent" is people who rob banks by claiming to have a weapon, even if

[witchwestphalia]

Thank you for writing this. I currently work with some mentally ill individuals who have committed acts of violence due to their illness. I like them as much as any other patient, I don't see them as *different* but my colleagues often do. You've expressed eloquently what I've incoherently struggled to formulate.