Citation

Simonsson JP, Solomon P. Soc. Work 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, National Association of Social Workers)

DOI

10.1093/sw/swab009

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

As concerns about gun violence such as mass shootings grow, social work, with its social justice-centered commitment, needs to assertively advocate for people with psychiatric disorders who are unjustifiably blamed for the violence (McGinty, Webster, Jarlenski, & Barry, 2014). Although extant research suggests that psychiatric disorders are a distal risk factor for violence (Peterson, Skeem, Kennealy, Bray, & Zvonkovic, 2014), in the aftermath of mass shootings, the media labels perpetrators as "mentally ill," fueling the narrative that people with psychiatric disorders are dangerous. Gun violence by this population is rare (Appelbaum, 2013), but the media framing of mental illness as the primary violence cause negatively influences public attitudes. In fact, research has found that, over the...

Language: en