Annotated Bibliography - Gun Violence and Mental Health
Aaron, Blake. "On Gun Violence, Americans Blame Mental Health System over Gun Laws." The Washington Post 20 Sept. 2013: n. pag. Print.
This post is a relatively short but informative summary and analysis of a recent poll given to Americans about what has caused gun violence. More Americans blame gun violence on the failure of the mental health system than a lack of gun law. Statistics are given below the analysis of the poll results, giving the reader credible information that backs up the rest of the article. This article is important because it informs me about national public ideas around mental illness and gun violence. It allows me to compare public ideas to the studies I have read and analyzed.
Fazel, Seena M.B.Ch.B., M.R.C.Psych., M.D.; Grann, Martin C.Psych., Ph.D. In The American Journal of Psychiatry (2006): n. pag. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
This is a study aimed to “determine the population impact of patients with severe mental illness on violent crime.” It empirically investigated past crimes and histories of those involved with them, coming to the conclusion that patients with severe mental illness commit only one in twenty violent crimes. This information is reliable—it describes the methods in-depth and why their findings are accurate and credible. The results are important because they show how the public’s idea of mental illness and violence is very exaggerated from the truth. The number of people with severe mental illness who commit violent crimes is a tiny percentage, which is important information to know when doing my research.
Franke-Ruta, Garance. "The Atlantic." The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
This article leads with the question of how Aaron Alexis, an individual with mental illness who was responsible for the Washington Navy Yard massacre, obtained a gun. The article states that the main problem with mental health and gun violence is that over half of Americans have a mental illness at some point in their lives, and raises the question of how to address the issue of individuals who can be led to violence due to their mental illnesses and those who are not a danger. One idea has been to create a mental health database and how strengthening other government databases could have stopped past shooters from attaining guns. This article is easy to understand and provides a general analysis of past shootings and how a lack of government information has led to the distribution of guns to future shooters. It is a good starting point to help understand the role mental health records and access has had in shootings and also suggests the problems associated with focusing just on mental health as a way to stop gun control that is important to consider when looking critically at reform.
Hiroeh, U.; Appleby, L.; Mortensen, PB.; Dunn, G. "Death by Homicide, Suicide, and Other Unnatural Causes in People with Mental Illness: A Population-based Study."NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2001. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
This study investigated the risk of those with mental illness of being victims of homicide in a world where “public concern is pre-occupied with their role as perpetrators.” The findings concluded that people with mental disorders are at increased risk for deah by homicide and unnatural death. This fact again is different from many of the perspectives of the public on mental health and is very informative about the relationship between violence and mental illness. The source, U.S. National Library of Medicine, is a credible source.
Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (IDAC). "Grounded in Faith: Resources on Mental Health and Gun Violence." American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) (2013): n. pag. Web. Nov.-Dec. 2013.
This compendium gives evidence combating stigma that has evolved around mental illness and gun violence. It states that gun violence and mental illness are not typically positively correlated, and that those with mental illness or disabilities are more often the victims of gun violence that the perpetrators. The article states that mass shooting are usually the result of family or work conflict rather than mental illness, and that stigma needs to be reversed. This compendium is very useful for my studies—it provides in-depth information disproving what most Americans think about gun violence and disability. It provides statistics that can be used in my analysis and the important perspective of the disability community.
Aaron, Blake. "On Gun Violence, Americans Blame Mental Health System over Gun Laws." The Washington Post 20 Sept. 2013: n. pag. Print.
This post is a relatively short but informative summary and analysis of a recent poll given to Americans about what has caused gun violence. More Americans blame gun violence on the failure of the mental health system than a lack of gun law. Statistics are given below the analysis of the poll results, giving the reader credible information that backs up the rest of the article. This article is important because it informs me about national public ideas around mental illness and gun violence. It allows me to compare public ideas to the studies I have read and analyzed.
Fazel, Seena M.B.Ch.B., M.R.C.Psych., M.D.; Grann, Martin C.Psych., Ph.D. In The American Journal of Psychiatry (2006): n. pag. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
This is a study aimed to “determine the population impact of patients with severe mental illness on violent crime.” It empirically investigated past crimes and histories of those involved with them, coming to the conclusion that patients with severe mental illness commit only one in twenty violent crimes. This information is reliable—it describes the methods in-depth and why their findings are accurate and credible. The results are important because they show how the public’s idea of mental illness and violence is very exaggerated from the truth. The number of people with severe mental illness who commit violent crimes is a tiny percentage, which is important information to know when doing my research.
Franke-Ruta, Garance. "The Atlantic." The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
This article leads with the question of how Aaron Alexis, an individual with mental illness who was responsible for the Washington Navy Yard massacre, obtained a gun. The article states that the main problem with mental health and gun violence is that over half of Americans have a mental illness at some point in their lives, and raises the question of how to address the issue of individuals who can be led to violence due to their mental illnesses and those who are not a danger. One idea has been to create a mental health database and how strengthening other government databases could have stopped past shooters from attaining guns. This article is easy to understand and provides a general analysis of past shootings and how a lack of government information has led to the distribution of guns to future shooters. It is a good starting point to help understand the role mental health records and access has had in shootings and also suggests the problems associated with focusing just on mental health as a way to stop gun control that is important to consider when looking critically at reform.
Hiroeh, U.; Appleby, L.; Mortensen, PB.; Dunn, G. "Death by Homicide, Suicide, and Other Unnatural Causes in People with Mental Illness: A Population-based Study."NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2001. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
This study investigated the risk of those with mental illness of being victims of homicide in a world where “public concern is pre-occupied with their role as perpetrators.” The findings concluded that people with mental disorders are at increased risk for deah by homicide and unnatural death. This fact again is different from many of the perspectives of the public on mental health and is very informative about the relationship between violence and mental illness. The source, U.S. National Library of Medicine, is a credible source.
Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (IDAC). "Grounded in Faith: Resources on Mental Health and Gun Violence." American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) (2013): n. pag. Web. Nov.-Dec. 2013.
This compendium gives evidence combating stigma that has evolved around mental illness and gun violence. It states that gun violence and mental illness are not typically positively correlated, and that those with mental illness or disabilities are more often the victims of gun violence that the perpetrators. The article states that mass shooting are usually the result of family or work conflict rather than mental illness, and that stigma needs to be reversed. This compendium is very useful for my studies—it provides in-depth information disproving what most Americans think about gun violence and disability. It provides statistics that can be used in my analysis and the important perspective of the disability community.