Are People With Bipolar or Schizophrenia Likely To Be Violent?

Are People With Schizophrenia Likely To Be Violent?

National Institute of Mental Health

News and entertainment media tend to link mental illness and criminal violence; however, studies indicate that except for those persons with a record of criminal violence before becoming ill, and those with substance abuse or alcohol problems, people with Schizophrenia are not especially prone to violence.

Most individuals with schizophrenia are not violent; more typically, they are withdrawn and prefer to be left alone. Most violent crimes are not committed by persons with schizophrenia, and most persons with schizophrenia do not commit violent crimes.

Substance abuse significantly raises the rate of violence in people with schizophrenia but also in people who do not have any mental illness. People with paranoid and psychotic symptoms, which can become worse if medications are discontinued, may also be at higher risk for violent behavior. When violence does occur, it is most frequently targeted at family members and friends, and more often takes place at home.

NIH - 1999
Posted 04/09/2004

This Week's Bipolar News

Credit Card Consolidation Speeds Freedom from Debt from Bipolar Disorder
by David Oliver
There's no question that many people dealing with bipolar disorder have unfortunately developed a tremendous amount of debt.

A patient's view of bipolar
Minnesota Public Radio
After being diagnosed with the most severe form of bipolar disorder, Marya Hornbacher chronicles her journey to accepting and managing her mental life.

Mother's mental illness diagnosed a decade ago
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Sherri Love has a history of mental illness dating back more than a decade. The 47-year-old, on trial in District Court on charges she fatally stabbed her 7-year-old daughter, tried to kill herself multiple times and was diagnosed as bipolar, authorities said.

Click here for all Bipolar News.

Don't be a Victim of Pharmacy Errors

CNN Medical News published a story about a woman who was pregnant and filled a prescription for prenatal vitamins at her local Walgreens in St. Louis, Missouri.

Unfortunately, this woman miscarried within a few weeks of taking the drug. Later, she learned that instead of being given a prescription for her prenatal vitamins (Materna), she had instead been given Matulane, which is a chemotherapy drug used to treat Hodgkin's disease, according to a lawsuit filed this month in federal court.

According to the lawsuit, the drug (Matulane) is intended to interfere with cell growth and DNA development.

According to the National Patient Safety Foundation, each year in the United States there are 30 million dispensing errors out of 3 billion prescriptions which occur at outpatient pharmacies. Some errors are minor, and some patients catch them easily; however, other errors can be serious.

Click here to read the entire article.

BipolarCentral
Your One Stop Source For Information On Bipolar Disorder

Are People With Schizophrenia Likely To Be Violent?

Back to Article List

This Week's Bipolar News

Featured Article:

Don't be a Victim of Pharmacy Errors

BipolarCentral Your One Stop Source For Information On Bipolar Disorder

Are People With Schizophrenia Likely To Be Violent?

Back to Article List

This Week's Bipolar News

Featured Article:

Don't be a Victim of Pharmacy Errors

BipolarCentral
Your One Stop Source For Information On Bipolar Disorder