Suicide, Violence, and Mental Health
How can we talk about suicide with those who won't seek help?
Check out Jeremy Forbes Ted Talk, "How to start a conversation about suicide" (2) - (12m)
What are some myths about violence and mental health?
Listen to the American Hospital Association's podcast: "Hospitals Against Violence: Debunking the Stereotype that Mental Illness = Violence" (3) - (17m)
Can we blame mass shootings on mental illness?
Check out NY Public Radio's, "The Danger of Linking Mental Illness to Mass Shootings" (4) - (13m)
Caveat: This podcast comments on current U.S. political leaders.
Geographies of Interest
Washington Heights and Inwood, NYC
While the violent assault rate in Washington Heights in lower than the citywide rate, accidents are the 9th leading cause of death in the community (6). Further, Washington Heights has one of the higher New York neighborhood rates of suicide at 66 over two years, compared to 22 in Central Harlem and 11 in Lower Manhattan during the same time period (6).
If I am interested in this topic, where can I learn more?
Check out our module on Injury and Gun Violence.
Check out NYT OpEd, "Why Mass Murderers May Not Be Very Different From You or Me" (7)
This piece disentangles mental illness from the ability to commit violent crimes.
Check out ProPublica's piece, "Myth vs. Fact: Violence and Mental Health" (8)
An interview with Dr. Jeffrey Swanson explains how most violence is not attributable to mental illness.
Check out the Harvard Health essay, "Mental illness and violence" (9)
This article illustrates how substance use, poverty, social environment and other factors are larger indicators of violent behavior than mental illness.
This essay draws data from existing programs in Oregon and Sweden to show that mental health care teams can play an important role in 911 responses.
Sources
1. Sutton A. (2018, March 28). Experts say mental health not a major factor in gun control. La Grande Observer. Retrieved from https://www.lagrandeobserver.com/home/6123470-151/experts-say-mental-health-not-a-major-factor
2. TED Westpac. (2017, December). How to start a conversation about suicide| Jeremy Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_forbes_how_to_start_a_conversation_about_suicide#t-717321
3. American Hospital Association. (2017, December 11). Retrieved from https://www.aha.org/system/files/2018-10/17may-swanson-violence-podcast.mp3
4. WNYC Studios: The Takeaway. (2019, August 07). The Danger of Linking Mental Illness to Mass Shootings. Retrieved from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/trump-stigma-mental-illness-mass-shootings
5. Kaiser Family Foundation. (August 09, 2019). Gun Violence Makes U.S an Outlier, Not Mental Illness. Retrieved from: https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SLIDE-Mental-Health-TX-EY.png
6. New York City Community Health Profiles. Retrieved February 21, 2017, from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/data/data-publications/profiles.page#mn
7. Friedman R. (August 08, 2019). Why Mass Murderers May Not Be Very Different From You or Me. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/opinion/mass-shootings-mental-health.html
8. Beckett L. (2014, June 10). Myth vs Fact. Violence and Mental Health. ProPublica. Retrieved from: https://www.propublica.org/article/myth-vs-fact-violence-and-mental-health
9. Harvard Health Newsletter. (2019, January 11). Mental Illness and Violence. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/mental-illness-and-violence
10. Sigal, S. (2019, July 01). Calling the cops on someone with mental illness can go terribly wrong. Here's a Betteridea. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/7/1/20677523/mental-health-police-cahoots-oregon-oakland-sweden