# Is there a link between mental illness and violence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 1, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-link-between-mental-illness-and-violence/795275 "2017-09-01T22:30:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-link-between-mental-illness-and-violence/795275/21 "2017-09-07T10:23:06Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > We tend to think that neurological disorders are problems with hardware while mental disorders are more like software bugs. What do you mean can you explain? Are you trying to say neurological disorders is problem with brain the brain is not fully developed? Where mental illness is a chemical imbalance. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-link-between-mental-illness-and-violence/795275/22 "2017-09-07T14:13:56Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > What do you mean can you explain? Are you trying to say neurological disorders is problem with brain the brain is not fully developed? Where mental illness is a chemical imbalance. I’m saying people think in these terms when there’s no good reason to. I’m saying that those distinctions don’t mean anything. At least not to me. People seem to think that neurological disorder = intractable development disorder = special person who can’t help what he does, poor thing. Meanwhile, they think the person with anxiety or depression or schizophenia is just a “normal” person with a behavioral problem that can “clear up” with or without intervention. I’m saying that such distinctions are oversimplistic and unhelpful. Plenty of people develop neurological disorders later in life (raises hand). Plenty of people outgrow or overcome neurological disorders. And plenty of people are born with vulnerabilities to specific psychiatric problems that remain with them for a lifetime. It seems pretty ballsy to conclude the person in the latter position must have a “normal” brain just because they receive treatment from a psychiatrist rather than a neurologist. To me it makes more sense to assume that everyone who acts dysfunctionally has an underlying brain abnormality in the absence of other information. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2017, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-link-between-mental-illness-and-violence/795275/23 "2017-09-11T07:11:30Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I’m saying people think in these terms when there’s no good reason to. > > I’m saying that those distinctions don’t mean anything. At least not to me. People seem to think that neurological disorder = intractable development disorder = special person who can’t help what he does, poor thing. Meanwhile, they think the person with anxiety or depression or schizophenia is just a “normal” person with a behavioral problem that can “clear up” with or without intervention. I’m saying that such distinctions are oversimplistic and unhelpful. Plenty of people develop neurological disorders later in life (raises hand). Plenty of people outgrow or overcome neurological disorders. And plenty of people are born with vulnerabilities to specific psychiatric problems that remain with them for a lifetime. It seems pretty ballsy to conclude the person in the latter position must have a “normal” brain just because they receive treatment from a psychiatrist rather than a neurologist. To me it makes more sense to assume that everyone who acts dysfunctionally has an underlying brain abnormality in the absence of other information. From what my understanding is neurological disorder is any disorder of the nervous system. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or other nerves. Neurological disorders included epilepsy, parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and types of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Where mental illness many cannot be explain the cause by doctors or scientist the cause of most mental illnesses is unknown. Some say it is a chemical imbalance well others say it is abnormalities in the brain. Some say genetics. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-link-between-mental-illness-and-violence/795275/24 "2017-09-16T00:07:02Z")
There was video on youtube don’t remember the name but it was explaining mental illness and some of the theories of Psychology. I’m checking out youtube now see if I can find that video unless it got deleted from youtube. If I can find it I will post it here. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-link-between-mental-illness-and-violence/795275/25 "2017-09-16T00:31:27Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > Well mental illness or not it still asks if these people really have free will and should be in jail or not for crime they done. > > Some one that steals, break enter, robbery, assault or hurt some some and so on how much free will do they really have. > > Some one one who have really bad alcoholism that get DUI charge do they really have free will. If their body is really sick and need the booze to deal with the sickness. > > Some one who have anger management problems that burst out at tiny bit of problem how much free will do they have. Ah, but that’s the thing. Just being mentally ill isn’t grounds for a lack of “free will”. You can be mentally ill and still be guilty in the eyes of the law. It’s much more complex than that. Not all mentally ill people are wild and out of control. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-link-between-mental-illness-and-violence/795275.md?page=1)