{"id":107748,"date":"2019-07-11T15:26:03","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T20:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=107748"},"modified":"2019-07-16T13:07:35","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T18:07:35","slug":"reframing-the-narrative-on-gun-violence-and-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/psychology\/reframing-the-narrative-on-gun-violence-and-mental-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Reframing the narrative on gun violence and mental illness"},"content":{"rendered":"

When there is a mass shooting, people want to identify a likely cause and often end up blaming mental illness\u2014but it\u2019s more complicated than that. The spring Cultural Impact Conference<\/a> at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) on May 17, 2019, addressed this problematic pairing. Keynote speakers and workshop leaders told the story of how practitioners can shed light on the fact that while gun violence and mental illness may be related, they\u2019re probably not as closely tied as the media and the public believe.<\/p>\n

The Cultural Impact Conference highlighted the importance of finding a way to see the perpetrator of any violent act as a whole person, to expand the scope of the narrative.<\/p>\n

Here are three takeaways:<\/p>\n

1. Trauma-informed care can help create a healthier conversation between all parties involved and affected by gun violence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGun violence is a public health crisis, not a mental health situation,\u201d said keynote speaker Jaleel Abdul-Adil, Ph.D., who laid the framework for the day.<\/p>\n

Changing public perception extends to the doctor-patient relationship, as well. The stigma of mental illness and violence can create barriers in treatment that those in the field can work to address. Dr. Abdul-Adil discussed the importance of trauma-informed care as those in the psychology field move forward in treating those who carry out gun violence, and those that are touched by it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be asking, \u2018What happened to you?\u2019 Not, \u2018What\u2019s wrong with you?\u2019\u201d Dr. Abdul-Adil explains.<\/p>\n

Through trauma-informed care, professionals in the field have the chance to see the larger picture and hopefully challenge the perception of mental illness always being to blame. This shift in understanding offers a compassionate stepping stone to discuss how the shooter got to where they are currently.<\/p>\n

2. Those who are affected by mental illness are 10 times more likely to experience a violent crime than to cause one.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kate Mahoney, LCSW, the executive director of the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education<\/a> at TCSPP, pointed out that most Americans are under the impression that shooters suffer from some sort of mental illness.<\/p>\n

However, the narrative that exists in the media to explain gun violence does not adequately represent those who actually experience mental illness. Only three to five percent of violent acts can be attributed to those with serious mental illness.<\/p>\n

This is reflected in policy, as well. The story that is propagated about how the mentally ill are responsible for gun violence rather than need protection from it, shows up in policy that ranges from gun control to mental health care. Mahoney goes on to say, \u201cStigma shapes public policy\u2014so how people think affects how we spend money.\u201d<\/p>\n

With gun violence and mental health, the implications of a quick assumption and limited perspective shortchange the real solution to deeper issues, like protecting the mentally ill from harm.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There are no quick, easy, fool-proof ways to identify a potential shooter.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Nancy Zarse, Psy.D., a professor in TCSPP\u2019s Forensic Psychology Department, spoke about the importance of violence risk assessment and threat management.<\/p>\n

    What she did not provide was a checklist for how to find a shooter, because there is not one. In her workshop, Dr. Zarse discussed how there are no quick, easy, fast answers to profile someone\u2014instead, the focus should be on understanding, assessing, and managing risk to avoid mass casualty events. Sharing her experience working with the FBI and in the prison system as a psychologist and expert in threat assessment, she spoke about the necessity of building a Threat Assessment Team in businesses, schools, government offices, etc.<\/p>\n

    In a world of, \u201cIf you see something, say something,\u201d the application of this practice has no limits but needs to be based on known facts and behaviors, processed by experts. This is why a trained Threat Assessment Team can be invaluable in preventing future tragedies.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Want to learn more?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Using a psychological lens, you can continue to dig deeper into difficult issues facing our world every day.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re fascinated by psychology\u2019s ability to prevent violence and protect those affected by mental illness, a psychology degree could be the right choice for you. Fill out the form below to request more information about the different programs we offer, read this blog<\/a> to learn more about the different types of psychology degrees, or visit our general psychology programs page<\/a> to learn more about our different minors, concentrations, and specializations.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This spring\u2019s Cultural Impact Conference sought to shed light on lesser-known facts about the link between mental illness and gun violence. Read on for three key takeaways. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":107749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[198,113],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1037],"class_list":["post-107748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-psychology","insight_authors-cassandra-morrison"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReframing the narrative on gun violence and mental illness -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This spring\u2019s Cultural Impact Conference sought to shed light on lesser-known facts about the link between mental illness and gun violence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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