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Written By: Agencies | Updated : June 21, 2014 5:10 PM IST
According to a study that appeared in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry, mentally ill patients are at a greater risk of becoming victims of homicide than people without mental illness.
The findings of our study are an important reminder that although the overall risk of patients committing homicide is greater than the risk of being a victim of homicide, mentally ill people are often vulnerable to the violence of others,' Cathryn Rodway, a research associate at the University of Manchester in Britain was quoted as saying. (Read: Are mentally ill people more likely to smoke, drink and do drugs?)
People have generally been more concerned about violence by mental health patients than the potential vulnerability of those patients to violent acts by others, the researchers said. For the study, researchers examined data on the victims and perpetrators of all homicides in England and Wales between January 2003 and December 2005. (Read: 'Psychological, mental problems need to be treated like physical ailments')
Among all the 1,496 homicide victims during this period, 6 percent (90) had been under the care of mental health services in the year before their death, and about one-third (29) of the victims who had mental illnesses were killed by other patients with mental illnesses. 'The increased risk may be related to the patient's social environment, their use of alcohol or drugs, or the people with whom they come into contact, including other patients with a history of violence,' Rodway told Live Science. (Read: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD needs to be recognised and treated)
Source: IANS
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