DRUG ABUSE

Substance abuse, not mental illness, causes violent crime



Drug Abuse not he Mental Illness is Cause of Violence in Society

Summary of Article and Forensic Issue

Forensic psychology is the intersection of law and psychology. In this applied branch of psychology, the role of psychologist is to assess, evaluate and interpret any particular crime in psychological context. In article “Substance abuse, not mental illness, causes violent crime” we have seen a forensic issue. The issue is that those people who are experiencing from mental illness and consume any drug are more likely to do violent crime. In simple words, people who are facing any mental disorder like bipolar and schizophrenia are not involved in crime. The combination of mental disorder and drug abuse make people violent criminals. In this regard, an extensive research had conducted in Sweden in which some 8,000 schizophrenia and 3,700 bipolar patients participated. The results of study confirmed that when mentally ill people are abusing illegal drugs including alcohol are more likely to do violent crimes like sexual violence, manslaughter and murder. Dr. Seena Fazel, a senior psychiatry and lecturer at Oxford University also confirmed this report. Further he said that in order to minimize the dangers of mental illness, there is dire need of controlling the drug and alcohol abuse. Dr. Seena Fazel also made a healthy contribution. According to him, there are two reasons of consuming illegal drugs and alcohol by the mentally ill patients. One, mentally ill patients move self-medication and believe that by consuming illegal drugs and alcohol they will be normalized. Second, schizophrenia and bipolar are genetically influenced diseases.

Theory and Empirical Evidence

The phenomenon of violence has been studied in several areas, especially in psychology, because of its potential threat to life. It is noteworthy that the understanding of the phenomenon of violence must start with the recognition that it is a global problem, historical and multi-factorial (Homer-Dixon,2010). Its conceptualization is considered complex as it varies according to cultural values ??which are in force in a particular historical period. The link between violence and abuse or drug addiction affects all areas of society and drug use is an important risk factor for violent behavior, such as homicide, suicides, domestic violence and traffic accidents. However, the number of people who take alcohol or other drugs is much higher than individuals who commit killing. So it is difficult to identify a single relation of cause / effect.

The alcohol abuse or other drugs is an important trigger of changes in behavior and personality, usually being harmful to social and personal interactions. Within a few symptoms of this change should be highlighted anxiety, aggression and depression, which can lead to a lack of empathy and emotional control, thus increasing the risk of involvement in violent situations. Study showed that individuals with psychiatric disorders had a higher incidence of violence when they become substance dependence or abuse. The substance dependence means they are unable to function normally until they take ...