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
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading ...You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Join the Conversation! Post a Comment:
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Sep 2006
