I don’t follow much mass media, but at times it is impossible to escape. Accounts of the El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, shootings and the Los Angeles stabbings are prime examples. What could possibly lead someone to such violent extremes?
Political leaders, pundits and partisans toss around various theories. Access to guns. Video games. Mental illness.
As one with a mental illness who now serves as a local faith and mental health advocate, the issue is much more than political posturing. It is passionately personal. True, I have witnessed first-hand aggressive behavior stemming from improperly treated mental illness. Yet, the vast majority of this is self-harm, not violence against others. Fear-based stigma does no one any good and does many much harm.
After examining extensive research, the Treatment Advocacy Center, one of the leading organizations promoting better mental health care and public safety writes in “Risk Factors for Violence in Serious Mental Illness,” five summary statements:
Most individuals with serious mental illness are not dangerous
Most acts of violence are committed by individuals who are not mentally ill
Individuals with serious mental illness are victimized by violent acts more often than they commit violent acts
Being a young male or a substance abuser (alcohol or drugs) is a greater risk factor for violent behavior than being mentally ill
No evidence suggests that people with serious mental illness receiving effective treatment are more dangerous than individuals in the general population
The article concludes:
“… a small number of individuals with serious mental illnesses (do) commit acts of violence. Individuals who are not being treated commit almost all of these acts; many of them also abusing alcohol or drugs.”
These “small number” of individuals need more intensive treatment, not imprisonment. A mental illness diagnosis is a medical condition, not a crime. Yet, all too often, when there is a mass killing many target mental illness as the culprit and those with troubled minds become more afraid to seek help. As a compassionate nation, we need to create a climate where there is treatment before tragedy.
Faith communities have historically been at the forefront of cultivating compassion for the sick, the imprisoned, the stranger in a strange land. We are uniquely blessed with a ministry that is broad and expansive.
We reach children of all ages and ethnicities, life circumstances and conditions. At our best, we not only preach with our words, but show in our actions God’s love, peace and justice. Given the breadth and depth of this ministry, people with mental illness will no doubt be drawn in. Speaking for myself, the body of Christ I’ve found in the church has been a sanctuary for my seething spirit.
I have found healing within the fellowship of believers when the world has turned away in fear.
What can we do to reject fear that leads to hatred and embrace faith that leads to hope for all?
Columbus resident Tony Roberts is the author of “Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission” and director of Delight in Disorder Ministries at delightindisorder.org. He also co-leads the faith-based mental health support group Faithful Friends and co-hosts the podcast Revealing Voices. Tony is a member of Columbus Reformed Presbyterian Church and serves as a faith and mental health advocate at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. All opinions expressed are those of the writer.
Columbus resident Tony Roberts is the author of "Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission" and director of Delight in Disorder Ministries at delightindisorder.org. He also co-leads the faith-based mental health support group Faithful Friends and co-hosts the podcast Revealing Voices. Tony is a member of Columbus Reformed Presbyterian Church and serves as a faith and mental health advocate at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. All opinions expressed are those of the writer.
