Whenever there is a notorious mass shooting, it is common to see politicians, reporters, and people in our own lives making connections between gun violence and mental illness. 

This was the case when a perpetrator shot and took ten lives at a supermarket in Buffalo. Subsequently again ten days later, after a shooter took the lives of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 

Accused of carrying out the Buffalo shooting, eighteen-year-old Payton S. Gendron had been admitted to a hospital for mental health assessment and counseling after mentioning to a teacher that he “wanted to murder and commit suicide” in 2021. Nevertheless, he was released after merely a day and a half. 

This case had once again surfaced the conversation surrounding gun violence and mental illness such as depression. Consequently, a lot of misconceptions and falsehoods have been spread. 

It might be easy to blame gun violence on the possible mental instability of a shooter — it’s a convenient scapegoat at a time when mass shootings are a current tragic but real concern. It is crucial to realize that using mental illness as a scapegoat for carrying out gun violence doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, it can actually be detrimental to those who are suffering with serious mental health conditions, especially by contributing to the stigma and possibly repelling people away from opening up and receiving help. 

What do the statistics suggest? According to the Gun Violence Archive, the US had over 200 mass shootings in 2022. While not every case involved fatalities, over 45,000 people died from gun-related injuries in 2020, with over half of these being suicides. It was found in 2016 that mass shootings carried out by people living with serious mental illness represent less than 1% of all gun-related homicides. The overall representation of people with serious mental illness to violent crimes was only 3%. Most people living with a mental illness aren’t aggressive. Although there is evidence to suggest links between mental illness and an increased likelihood of aggression as often asserted that mental health examinations should be mandated before one can purchase a gun, the vast majority of people suffering with a mental illness are not aggressive. 

“Due to how mental illness has and continues to be viewed and stigmatized, people with mental health problems, or mental illness, can feel shame about their condition making it difficult for them to access help.” — MARK VAHRMEYER, ADVDIPINTPSY MA

Misconceptions may emerge because of notorious cases, such as the Columbine High School massacre, the Virginia Tech shooting, and the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, in which the shooter carries out their act on others before turning the gun on themselves. This might be because we gravitate towards associating suicide, too, with mental illness. It’s true that in many instances, mass murderers plan to end themselves after carrying out their acts, whether it be by suicide or law enforcement officers. Even so, this doesn’t necessarily signify a mental illness. Mark Vahrmeyer, AdvDipIntPsy MA, UKCP-registered integrative psychologist says, “the stigmatization of mental health and mental illness is nothing new and can be traced back through the centuries and across cultures.” He continues, “people with mental illness have at varying times been seen as weak, possessed by the devil or evil spirits and, often in conjunction with the latter, considered dangerous and violent.”

“Despite much improvement in the treatment of mental illness and an increasingly open dialogue about the effects of mental illness from sufferers and professionals, the evidence shows that increasing numbers of the general public fear violence from those who are mentally ill,” explains Vahrmeyer.

Why do we make these links? 

We want answers after a tragedy: “It is human to want answers and human to seek a simple answer to what is actually a complex question: the complex answer holds us collectively responsible for the society in which we all live and co-create; the simple answer claiming the reason is due to mental illness, exonerates us from introspection and enables us to put distance between the actions of the latest gunman—the madman—and ourselves,” states Vahrmeyer. “It is a powerful psychological defense that allows us to maintain our own certainty about who we are and the society we live in.”

Stigma persists: Focusing into the connection on psychological issues only worsens the stigma surrounding mental illness, and likely drives many away from reaching out for help, resulting in worse public health outcomes. 

Meanwhile some mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, are becoming more accepted, there persists strong stigma around other conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The consequence of making links between mental illness and gun violence can lead to people believing that those with serious mental health conditions are dangerous. “Due to how mental illness has and continues to be viewed and stigmatized, people with mental health problems, or mental illness, can feel shame about their condition making it difficult for them to access help.  This can, in turn, affect all other parts of their lives and bring on a downward spiral whereby they no longer feel a part of society and exist on the fringes,” says Vahrmeyer. He elaborates, “They can end up being seen and used as scapegoats by politicians and the media, with further marginalization. The effects on the individual are as huge as they are on society, and even on the public purse, just not on gun violence.” 

Therefore, it would be a waste of resources if laws intended to decrease gun violence zeroed in on people with mental illness as there are no connections between mental illness and gun violence. Guns are potentially dangerous in anyone’s possession, and more detailed education and training should be implemented as mandatory before handling one. 

Other key points for consideration

Other shared factors among mass murderers include feelings of anger and revenge, social exclusion, and planning prior to executing the act. While feelings of rage, for instance, might be a symptom of some mental health conditions, it doesn’t necessarily signify that every mass shooter will have a mental illness. Even if a mass shooter did have a mental illness, it’s unlikely that the factor alone caused them to carry out the act. 

As mentioned previously, over half of gun-related deaths are suicides, which may add on to the connections between gun violence and mental illness. Nevertheless, it’s integral to differentiate between violence against others and oneself. Dying by suicide and causing harm to others are immensely different, and dying by suicide does not mean that the person would have been violent towards other people. So, why do we tend to associate gun violence with mental illness in our thoughts? Partly, it’s because it’s an easy scapegoat, and partly, because we recall past events in which mental illness was indeed a factor. We can be exposed to acts of violence on news coverage too, as these can impact how we perceive those suffering from mental illness. 

In the end, however, through associating gun violence with mental illness, we risk generating more fear, and making it more difficult for individuals struggling with mental health to reach out. 

Article and Image Citation: England, A. (2022b, June 15). Gun violence and mental illness: Understanding links and misconceptions. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/gun-violence-and-mental-illness-understanding-links-and-misconceptions-5323817