Mindelle Jacobs over at the Edmonton Sun has written a well-timed column reminding the world that while occasionally people with a mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, commit a violent crime, there is no statistical link between having a mental illness and committing a violent crime.

There is a link between substance abuse and crime, however (and substance abuse is considered a mental disorder, but in a completely different category than bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or depressoin).

The recent high-profile case of a Grande Prairie nurse with bipolar disorder who drugged her co-workers has the unfortunate potential to stigmatize the mentally ill.

Combine a crime that terrorized hospital staff with a mental ailment that isn’t well understood, and you risk undermining efforts to educate the public about mental illness.

Source: Stigmatizing bipolar disorder

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Sep 2006
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