Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, and Crime
You have been called upon by the directory of the Department of Health and Human Services to give your opinion on a recent national survey that found that serious mental illness (SML) is highly correlated with illicit drug use. This research shows that adults who used an illicit drug in the past year were three times as likely to suffer mental illness than adults who did not use an illicit drug. One possible explanation of these data is that drugs cause people to become mentally ill when another is that mentally ill people use drugs to “self-medicate”. Regardless of the cause we know that (a) people who use drugs commit more crime than nonabusers and (b) that the mentally ill commit more crime than the mentally sound.
The director asks you to comment on the mental illness, substance abuse, and crime nexus. Write an essay spelling out the true association between these factors, how each many be an effect or cause and how all three interact.
Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, and Crime
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Notably, mental illness is an umbrella term that describes various states of the mind, however, it is important to recognize that every mental illness is unique and affects individuals' lives differently. Again, not every mental illness is severe or serious and two different persons with the same diagnosis will often have two varied experiences. Studies show that there is a small relationship between specific features of mental illness and violence. For example, there is an increased risk of violence if a person experiences psychosis or schizophrenia, however, the risk of violence can decrease when the affected person is under proper treatment and management. In one study conducted in Canada, schizophrenia only attacks one percent of its population and the risk of violence is attached to two of its specific symptoms (CMHA, 2016). Again, other factors, inc...
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