In the wake of mass shootings and other tragedies, a frequent refrain is: Why don't we get those dangerous people off the streets? And, just as frequently, people suggest that mental health treatment is the answer.
Yet, for two main reasons, mental health treatment is not an easy solution to violence. The process of treating mental illness is difficult and complicated. More importantly, the vast majority of people with mental illnesses are not violent and the vast majority of lethal acts of violence are not perpetrated by people with mental illnesses.
I am a forensic psychologist and professor of psychology. I have studied mental illness, violence and mental health treatment at length. Here are some reasons that mental health treatment is not going to “cure” violence.
