Earlier this month, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders quipped, “We are, if [I'm] elected president, going to invest a lot of money into mental health. And when you watch these Republican debates, you know why we need to invest in mental health." Though the comment garnered laughs from the audience, many were also disgruntled by Sanders’ seemingly harmless joke. Jabs are expected in the realm of politics, but they should never come at the expense of a vulnerable and stigmatized group. The laughter and applause received reveal an acceptance of an automatic connection between absurd and vitriolic ideas and mental illness. By making that joke, Sanders implied the Republican candidates are dangerous by virtue of some of their harmful rhetoric. In addition, by immediately suggesting mental illness is the cause of the GOP’s “absurd” ideas, Sanders also implied people with mental illnesses are the only people capable of holding such menacing ideas. This idea persists in political discourses surrounding mass shootings despite contradictory evidence. If we continue to scapegoat mental illness as the explanation for abhorrent ideas and behavior, then we will never resolve the issues of mass shootings or mass violence.
Mental illnesses are varied and complex, but the vast majority of people with mental illnesses will never commit such horrific crimes. In fact, people without disabilities are more dangerous to those who have mental illnesses than the other way around. According to researchers at the World Health Organization and Liverpool John Moores University, people with mental illnesses are nearly four times more likely to be victims of violence than adults without any disability. Even those with “severe mental illnesses” are 2.5 times more likely to be attacked, raped or mugged than the general population.
On top of clearing up misconceptions about mental health, we also need to accept the fact that people without mental health issues are also capable of committing horrific things. Last October, following the Umpqua Community College shooting, President Barack Obama said, "We don't yet know why this individual did what he did. And it's fair to say that anybody who does this has a sickness in their minds, regardless of what they think their motivations may be." I completely disagree with President Obama on this matter. Committing acts of horror does not necessitate that perpetrators suffer from mental illnesses. In fact, some of the greatest crimes against humanity have been executed by people who lacked any form of mental illness.
In “Theorising Destruction: Reflections on the State of Comparative Genocide Theory,” political scientist Maureen S. Hiebert delineates numerous explanations that have been offered to explain the occurrence of genocide. Hiebert explains how psychologists have attempted to explain genocidal killing as acts perpetrated by people “outside the psychological norm.” These attempts, however, were failures. In fact, research shows that genocidal killing is typically performed by ordinary people. Contrary to President Obama’s suggestion, a person who commits acts of horror does not necessarily have a mental illness. As Hiebert shows, the perpetrators can be just about anyone.
When a mass shooting occurs, often without any evidence, political commentators suggest that mass shooters must have an illness. This immediate scapegoating of those who suffer from mental health conditions is not only wrong but also obscures the reality behind the cause of heinous crimes. Following the Charleston church massacre, many explained the incident on the grounds that Dylann Roof suffered from mental health issues, suggesting a person without a mental illness would never desire to mercilessly slaughter multiple people. This belief, however, is completely unfounded. There are no data showing Roof was suffering any form of mental illness. Why is it we have trouble accepting the fact that people sometimes act on their absurd beliefs? Consciously, most Americans will say racism is wrong. However, many may never label racist beliefs as byproducts of mental illness. Racism is an ideology through which racists understand the world. For some, this ideology includes the extermination of another race. As Maureen Hiebert demonstrated in her article, these ideologies have led people without any mental illness to massacre thousands and millions of other people on the grounds that it was the “right” thing to do.
Given the media’s representation of mental health concerns, it may be tempting to assume absurd behavior and ideas are corollaries of mental illness. That image, as I have demonstrated, is false. We should refrain from immediately characterizing those who suffer from mental health concerns as violent or dangerous. This propagation will further discourage people with mental health issues from seeking out help. Likewise, we should avoid immediately scapegoating mental illness as the explanation for abhorrent behaviour and crime. Mental illness is rarely the cause of these atrocities. In fact, an examination of cultural beliefs and social pressures provides us with a more comprehensive and accurate answer.
Alexander Adames is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.adames@cavalierdaily.com.
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