Gun violence in America: Mental health
ABC News
The U.S. has seen nearly 11,000 gun violence deaths so far this year.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness says whenever a tragic act of gun violence occurs, people with mental illness are often unfairly drawn into the conversation. But experts say the relationship between mental health and gun violence is complex. "Someone who goes out and massacres a bunch of strangers, that’s not the act of a healthy mind. There’s something wrong with that person," Dr. Jeffrey Swanson, professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University’s School of Medicine told ABC News. "But it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have one of these disorders of thought or mood regulation that psychiatrists commonly treat." Swanson, who co-authored the study "Mental illness and reduction of gun violence and suicide: bringing epidemiologic research to policy," said the issue is complicated because there's rarely just one explanation for mass shooters; they could also be grappling with trauma, drug use, alcohol abuse, alienation or mental illness.More Related News