"...the risk of [being killed by a psychotic stranger] is around the same as that of being killed by lightening ...about 1 in 10 million" Dr George Szmukler (Szmukler, 2000).

"There is no evidence that [having psychiatric patients] living in the community is a dangerous experiment that should be reversed" Professor John Gunn (Taylor and Gunn, 1999).

"Most psychiatric disorders are only very occasionally associated with criminality" Professor Herschel Prins (1990).

"Most people who have schizophrenia are never violent at any stage of their illness" Dr John Cutting (Cutting and Charlish, 1995).

"Statistically we are all 400 times more likely to die from 'flu than to be killed by a mentally ill patient" Roger Dobson (1998).

"The people we should really worry about are the people who are drunk or intoxicated" Dr Robert Kendell, past-President, Royal College of Psychiatrists (Hall, 1999).

"Fewer than 10 homicides a year - less than 2% of all killings - involved patients with schizophrenia... you are 20 times more likely to be killed by a sane than an insane person" The Guardian (1999).

MADNESS AND MURDER: THE MYTH

Despite several studies showing the presumed dangerousness of the mentally-ill to be mainly a myth (Monahan, 1992; Muijen, 1999; Prins, 1990; Szmukler, 2000; Taylor and Gunn, 1999, et al.) you can't be blamed for feeling at risk: media manipulation by opponents of community care has been so successful that even otherwise well-informed and educated people believe themselves to be menaced by marauding mental patients, reluctantly decanted from cosy custodial institutions.

The frequency with which homicidal madmen appear in urban legends indicates an appeal to something in the human psyche. This is suggested by the prevalence of the 'ogre' or 'bogeyman' in fairy tales and the 'homicidal maniac' in folklore: like the phantom hitchhiker and the dog-in-the-microwave, mad murderers constitute one of the stock characters of the urban myth.

As academic folklorist Professor J. H. Brunvand remarked: "People of all ages love a good scare. Early childlore is full of semi-serious spooky stories and ghastly threats... Among the favorite readings are Edgar Allen Poe's blood-soaked tales, and favorite stories at summer camp tell of maniacal axe-murderers ...lurking in the dark forest..." (Brunvand, 1983, p46)

THE MAD AND THE BAD

Some myths seem to be rooted in reality: we occasionally encounter disturbing individuals in the streets. Yet society's most dangerous or disruptive people frequently turn out not to be mentally-ill at all, but loutish or immature individuals, often intoxicated by alcohol or street-drugs: substances whose ingestion has been shown to be a much more reliable predictor of dangerousness than mental illness. (Brindle, 1999; Cooper, 1998; Hall, 1999; Scott and Johson, 1998, Soyka, 2000; et al.)

THE REALITY

A major study found that of the approximately 500 homicides in England and Wales in an average year, fewer than 20 perpetrators were psychotic (Department of Health, 1999). Like sane murderers, the insane overwhelmingly kill within their domestic circle. There are usually around 5 killings annually involving random attacks by a psychotic stranger (Szmukler, 2000). According to the Meteorological Office, this is about the same number of fatalities caused by bolts of lightening.

EVIL AND MENTAL ILLNESS

Despite the strength of evidence to the contrary, the myth of the dangerous mental patient is difficult to dispel and many people remain convinced that violent criminals, child-molesters, spree-killers and terrorists must, necessarily, be mentally ill. As Dr Matt Muijen observed: "An ominous process is developing in many people's minds, linking evil and mental illness" (Muijen, 1996).

Worse, these fallacies will probably influence legislators considering forthcoming changes to the Mental Health Act.

DEMYTHOLOGISNG DANGEROUSNESS AND MENTAL ILLNESS - see how the demonisation of the mentally-ill began and is sustained by mass-media mythologising and sensationalised, saturation reporting of untypical incidents.

MADNESS OR BADNESS? - confusing these concepts puts society at risk, as well as harming the genuinely mentally ill.

HOW PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS THEMSELVES ARE VICTIMISED - especially in custodial institutions.

WE HOPE...

We hope these web pages will successfully challenge damaging stereotypes, as well as providing a useful research-base for journalists, students, mental health workers and others who require well-referenced articles and information.

YOU CAN HELP...

If you have constructive comments or information (with references, please) which would improve our website, please send us the details at: 'Community Scare' c/o Mind in Manchester, Unit 25, The Progress Centre, Charlton Place, Ardwick Green, Manchester M12 6HS

SOURCES:

BRINDLE, D (1999) 'KILLINGS BY MENTALLY ILL ARE FALLING' The Guardian, Wednesday January 6th.

BRUNVAND, J.H. (1983) 'THE VANISHING HITCHHIKER: URBAN LEGENDS AND THEIR MEANINGS' Picador

COHEN, S (1972) 'FOLK DEVILS AND MORAL PANICS' MacGibbon and Kee

COOPER, G (1998) 'MENTALLY ILL COMMIT LESS CRIME THAN ALCOHOLICS' Independent. 1st. June 1998 news, p8.

CUTTING J, AND CHARLISH, A (1995) 'SCHIZOPHRENIA' Thorsons, p.192

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (1999) 'NATIONAL CONFIDENTIAL INQUIRY INTO SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE BY PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS: SAFER SERVICES' Department of Health.

DOBSON, R (1998) 'ARE SCHIZOPHRENICS THE LEPERS OF OUR TIME?' Independent Review 21 July 1998 p.11

GUARDIAN, (1999) 'IT IS WRONG TO RUSH IN' 17 Nov.1999 p.192

HALL, C (1999) 'MENTALLY ILL POSE LESS THREAT THAN ADDICTS' Daily Telegraph. Wed. Jan 6th. p.4

LEFF, J (2001) 'WHY IS CARE IN THE COMMUNITY PERCEIVED AS A FAILURE?' British Journal of Psychiatry (2001), 179, pp.381-383

MONAHAN, J (1992) 'MENTAL DISORDER AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOR: PERCEPTIONS AND EVIDENCE' American Psychologist, 47: pp. 511-521.

MONAHAN, J and ARNOLD, J (1996) 'VIOLENCE BY PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS: A CONSENSUS STATEMENT BY ADVOCATES AND RESEARCHERS' Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Spring, 1996, Vol 19, no.4.

MUIJEN, M (1999) 'MENTAL HEALTH AND HOMICIDE' Community Care, 4-10 March, 1999 p.31

MUIJEN, M (1996) 'EVERYONE'S FAVORITE SCAPEGOAT' Health Service Journal. 12 Sept. 1996. p.19

PRINS. H (1990) 'MENTAL ABNORMALITY AND CRIMINALITY: AN UNCERTAIN RELATIONSHIP' Medicine, Science and Law 30/3 1990 pp.247-58.

SCOTT, H and JOHSON, S, et al.(1998) 'SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THE RISK OF AGGRESSION AND OFFENDING AMONG THE SEVERELY MENTALLY ILL' British Journal of Psychiatry 172; pp.345-350.

SOYKA, M. (2000) SUBSTANCE MISUSE, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER AND VIOLENT AND DISTURBED BEHAVIOR' British Journal of Psychiatry 176: pp.345-350

SZMUKLER, G. (2000). HOMICIDE ENQUIRIES: WHAT SENSE DO THEY MAKE?' Psychiatric Bulletin 24: pp.6-10

TAYLOR, P and GUNN, J (1999) 'HOMICIDES BY PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS: MYTH AND REALITY' British Journal of Psychiatry, January 1999 174: pp.9-14.

WHITE, M (1999) 'REPORT REVEALS LOW RISK FROM MENTALLY ILL PEOPLE' Community Care 14-20 January.