The Impact of Mental Illness on Innocent Civilians

Categories: HealthMental Health

Every year innocent civilians are affected by those who are mentally ill. The results vary and can even lead to death in some cases. Due to the accessibility of guns, the creation of social media and the Internet, adolescence as well as adults who are suffering from mental illnesses, can obtain firearms. Therefore, now more than ever, attention, and focus both nationally and worldwide must be placed on the mental health of the general public, especially kindergarten to grade 12 and college students.

Studies show seventy-five percent of students struggling with mental illness do not receive mental health services, and mental health is a key component in the healthy development of students (Stagman & Cooper, 2010).

Mental illness is dangerous when left untreated. Untreated mental health is becoming a frequent case. Although public and school shootings are done with a firearm, mental illness causes the shooter to pull the trigger. Most public and school shooters never reveal their problems, they tend to keep them struggles bottled up.

Get quality help now
KarrieWrites
KarrieWrites
checked Verified writer

Proficient in: Health

star star star star 5 (339)

“ KarrieWrites did such a phenomenal job on this assignment! He completed it prior to its deadline and was thorough and informative. ”

avatar avatar avatar
+84 relevant experts are online
Hire writer

Approximately half of all lifetime mental health disorders start by the mid-teens, and the onset of all major mental illnesses happen as early as seven to eleven years of age (Stagman & Cooper, 2010). This could possibly leave some adolescences without communication about their mental illness for years since they are shy or embarrassed.

Furthermore, school counselors cannot control the behaviors and decisions of students, but they can implement interventions for students struggling with anger issues and grief, and individuals who display weak coping skills in order to provide them with techniques and strategies to deal with their emotions in a healthier manner rather than acting out in aggressive or violent ways.

Get to Know The Price Estimate For Your Paper
Topic
Number of pages
Email Invalid email

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

"You must agree to out terms of services and privacy policy"
Write my paper

You won’t be charged yet!

Not all students want to be helped sadly. When one of two sides do not cooperate, problems will not get resolved.

School counselors, therapists and parents must clue in on a deeper and more serious scale than ever as we are noticing a parallel between untreated mental illness and shootings. Unfortunately, counselors, therapists, parents and teachers aren't fully aware of major problems until something horrific occurs. Untreated mental illness causes public and school shootings. The FBI released information on A Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2008 and 2013. Only sixty-three out of 160 shooter cases were fully complete thus tests were created on the sixty-three fully completed. Information shows that sixteen of the forty subjects with information completed had received a psychiatric diagnosis (forty percent); forty of the sixty three (seventy percent) had mental health stressors and/or mental health concerning behaviors prior to the attack; and thirty of the thirty five (eighty six percent) subjects with such information that was available had suicidal ideation or had attempted to commit suicide prior to the attack.

Doctors, therapist and counselors need to take ownership of the wellbeing of mental ill people. It is not the innocent victims who have control of the situation, it is the doctors, therapists and counselors that have a head start on the shooter, they can prevent shootings from happening before they happen by treating the ill accountably. It is more than clear that untreated mental illnesses may result in death due to not affectively treating those ill. Completely treating those with mental illnesses is crucial in the present day. Ensuring one is healthy and recovered after the process of recovery is just as important as the process itself.

The US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center released a report on Mass Attacks in Public Spaces”2017. The report included twenty-eight incidents that had occurred. Eighteen (sixty four percent) of the attackers experienced mental health symptoms prior to their attack; nine were psychotic (thirty two percent) and seven had been hospitalized for treatment or prescribed psychiatric medication prior to their attacks (twenty five percent). All of these analytics have one fact in common which is they all were prior to the attacks. With professionals aware of these negative facts we could prevent numerous shootings. An individual with questionable mental health should be assessed immediately and correctly it may save someone's life. Mental illness leads to shootings however untreated and unrecovered mental illness delivers the kill shot.

Nevertheless, mental illness is to blame for public and school shootings. Over the year's statistics show mentally ill people shoot and kill innocent victims and the mentally ill are unable to stop unless an effective method comes into action. Dedicated workers, determination and social-awareness as well as firearm protection need to be top priority when dealing with mental illnesses. It is horrific witnessing mass shootings happen because of mental illnesses when mental illness is curable and preventable. Therapists, counselors, teachers and parents must make a difference by being certain that their patient and/or kid(s) are healthy. Since professionals are not spending enough time healing and ensuring recovery of the ill more untreated people are committing mass shooting crimes yearly. The mass shooting numbers keep going up with each shooting which means more untreated mentally ill roam our streets unknowingly. Only someone with extremely twisted, bad intentions would pick up a gun and do horrific things. Someone mentally ill.

Works Citied

  1. Stagman, S. and Cooper, J.L. (2010) Children's Mental Health What Every Policymaker Should Know. The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), New York.

References

  1. Scientific Research Publishing, www.scirp.org/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?ReferenceID=734141. Burkholder, David, et al. Faculty and Student Curricular Experiences of Nonerotic Touch in Counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, vol. 32, no. 2, 2010, pp. 168"185., doi:10.17744/mehc.32.2.b443p51w6x140555.
  2. A Study of Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013. FBI, FBI, 20 June 2018, www.fbi.gov/file-repository/pre-attack-behaviors-of-active-shooters-in-us-2000-2013.pdf/view.
Updated: Apr 29, 2023
Cite this page

The Impact of Mental Illness on Innocent Civilians. (2019, Aug 20). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/mental-health-essay

The Impact of Mental Illness on Innocent Civilians essay
Live chat  with support 24/7

👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!

Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.

get help with your assignment