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The Different Types Of Mental Illness And Disorders That Are Linked With Violence Essay

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The perception around those who suffer from mental illnesses are more likely to be violent, or are known to be dangerous, has been persistent throughout history. With further investigations, studies, and assessments the understanding of mental illness, what causes it and what treatments work has improved, but the social and public perceptions have not (Link, Phelan et al. 1999). In this essay, I am going to look into the different types of mental illness and disorders that are closely linked with violence, as well as the association between individuals diagnosed with a mental health issues and the increased risk of violent offending, while considering the impact of other confounding factors, such as substance abuse, social factors such as homelessness, noncompliance with medication and the stigma and public perception around mental illness and violent offending, and how the social belief that individuals with mental health problems are more likely to be violent and/or dangerous is for the most part greatly exaggerated, although still statistically true.
‘Mental health problems’ or ‘mental illness’, “refers to a vast range of mental health conditions or ‘disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour” (mayo clinic staff, 2015) examples of different mental illness include, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia, addictive behaviours such as substance abuse and schizophrenia, or ‘a health condition that can/does changes to

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