Does Mental Illness Cause Crime?

Abstract 

The paper describes the relationship between mental illness and the engagement in crime. It also attempts to analyze whether mental disorders are either sufficient or necessary cause of criminal activities such as violence or other criminal acts such as homicides, rape, drug abuse, and domestic violence among others. The paper also attempts to answer certain questions such as if the mentally ill are criminal and if they hence or therefore put the general public at risk. The discussion is critical in assessing whether any health improvements can be directed to these victims to reduce their engagement in acts of criminality and deviance. The paper is cognizant of any misconceptions that have been levelled on the relationship between mental illness and the engagement in criminal behavior. Further, it also attempts to analyze any dissenting views that have been postulated by the researchers concerning the feasibility or the reality of the relationship. 

Introduction 

The evidence that mental illness causes crime has mainly been derived from correctional services and psychiatric units. Most of the people admitted to such institutions have shown an immense record or inclination of engaging in violent and other unlawful behaviors. Scientists and other researchers have based their studies on the behavior of individual's suffering from the main and most severe mental illnesses that include schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder among others. It is important to appreciate the fact that criminal behavior can be caused by several different reasons such as unemployment, poverty levels, and homelessness. Also, it is critical also to appreciate the fact that people suffering from the major mental illnesses have twice or thrice more probability of engaging in such behavior more than the general population. In this regard, it is also vital to note the input of drug and substance abuse as one of the major compounding factors that increase the likelihood of the mentally ill in engaging in criminal behavior. Criminal activity in the context of mental health is one of the associations that has been widely studied by psychiatrists, scientists, and researchers hence leading to a wide array of evidence that has been tabled to prove the relationship. 

The Definition of Mental Illness 

Mental illness or disorder is a common medical condition that is widespread all over the American population. Research has postulated that a close to 54 million Americans suffer from mental health-related conditions every single year. Mental illness can be defined as a disease that causes varied disturbances in behavior and thought resulting in an individual's difficulty in coping with life demands and other day-to-day routines. Currently, 200 different forms of mental illnesses have been classified. Examples of common mental disorders include bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, dementia, and schizophrenia among others. Such mental illnesses might lead to the exhibition of one or more of the following symptoms that include social withdrawal, change in personality, changes in mood, and also the alteration of personal habits. Other important factors to note with regards to mental illnesses include that it can be caused due to genetic factors, a reaction to the environmental factors, and chemical imbalances in the body or a combination of them. With regards to the statistics of mental illnesses in the United States, it is critical to note that 19% of the adults in the country experience some form of mental illnesses in a year. 

Research has also postulated that nearly another 4.1% of the American population experience serious mental illness every single year. A further 8.5% have a mental illness that results from substance use. It is, however, important to appreciate the fact that most mental illnesses can be treated and a majority of individuals who had prior suffered from the disease have been seen to continue functioning properly in their day to day activities. Mental illness causes a considerable change in an individual's emotion, thinking, and even behavior and that is why it has been closely associated with deviance and even criminal activities. Mental illnesses are capable of affecting people regardless of gender, age, social status, income, and race among others. A majority of the mental illnesses, despite affecting all the ages, is mostly witnessed from 24 years of age onwards. The degree with which the mental illnesses can affect a person differs as some are mild and can only limit an individual to a small extent while others are chronic and can lead to massive effects on an individual leading to a complete change in behavior. 

Theory Conception 

There exists a close relationship between deviance and mental illness. Deviance is any behavior that goes against the tenets of social norms and values. However, it would be wrong to assert that all criminal all mentally ill persons are deviants. Many sociologists have attempted to form theories that best explain the relationship between mental illness and deviance such as crime. In this regard, sociologists use three theories that include functionalist, symbolic interactionist, and conflict theory. The functionalist theory views the mentally ill through the lenses of whether they possess the values necessary for conforming behavior ( Crossman, 2014). The symbolic interactionist theory on its part views the mentally ill as victims of societal reactions rather than as sick people. The conflict theory views the mentally ill as people with inadequate resources in the society hence their inclination to engaging in acts of deviance. 

Examples of Mental Illnesses 

Numerous conditions are classified as mental illnesses. As stated earlier, mental illnesses are health conditions that involve a change in emotion, thinking, or behavior or a combination of both. Several classes of mental illnesses exist all which are responsible for altering the emotion, thinking, and behavior of an individual thereby increasing their chances of engaging in criminal activities. 

Anxiety Disorders 

Such people respond to situations or objects with a high degree of fear. It is characterized by physical symptoms such as sweating and a rapid heartbeat. One can be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder if it has been identified that their response is not cognizant of the situation at hand. Other signs of the disorder include the fact that they are unable to control their responses and the fact that anxiety alters their normal functioning. Some examples of anxiety disorder include social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorders. 

Mood Disorders 

They are also referred to as the affective disorders. They affect the expression of emotion in an individual and may characterize through periods of overly happiness or episodes of deep sadness. It is also characterized by a fluctuation in emotions where an individual might transit abruptly from a state of happiness to a state of sadness in quick succession. Some common mental illnesses that are associated with moods include bipolar disorder, depression, and cyclothymic disorder among others. 

Psychotic Disorders 

The hallmark of psychotic disorders is distorted thinking or awareness. One of the most common symptoms of psychotic disorders is hallucinations where an individual is likely to hear sounds and images that are not factual or real. The person suffering from such a disorder is also likely to experience delusions which are false beliefs that have been accepted by the individual as true despite evidence proving otherwise. The most appropriate example of mental illness in this class is schizophrenia. 

Impulse Control and Addiction Disorders 

Such victims usually experience difficulty in resisting impulses and urge to perform undesirable acts such as those that could be harmful to others. Examples of impulse control disorders include kleptomania, pyromania, and compulsive gambling. The addiction is commonly directed to alcohol and other drugs. They become so much addicted that they ignore other fundamental areas of life such as relationship and other responsibilities. 

Personality Disorders 

Such victims depicting this disorder have an inflexible and extreme personality that is distressing and normally causes problems in the area of work, school, or even in the social relationships. The person is likely to engage in deviant behavior as tendencies and thinking markedly differ from societal expectations. Their behavior can also be so rigid that in some cases they interfere with the normal functioning of the individual. Examples of personality disorders include paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 

Raine (2013) asserted that PTSD follows a traumatic or an event that was highly terrifying. Examples of such events include physical assault, death of a loved one, sexual assault, and natural disaster among others. Most of the victims in this category of mental illnesses have long-lasting and frightening memories of such events which affect them emotionally hence affecting their behavior. Therefore, it is important to note that there are many other classes of mental illnesses all which play a significant role in altering the emotion, thinking and behaviors of individuals. However, not all mental disorders are likely to warrant an individual the engagement in criminal activity. It depends on the severity of the disorder. Among the illnesses, those with profound effect on the behavior of an individual include bipolar disease, schizophrenia, and depression. 

The Association between Mental Illness and Crime 

There is a close association between mental illness and crime according to research. The forms of mental illnesses that have severely been implicated in causing criminal activities are the chronic or severe. Therefore, the onset of severe mental illness will normally increase the likelihood of a person engaging in violent criminal activity. The risk can also be increased with other factors that include substance abuse and high rates of unemployment. One example of a secondary effect of mental illness is that it leads to what is referred to as the cognitive difficulty which renders the victims unable to employ. Such people will, therefore, resort to other illegal means of making money which amounts to crime. Therefore, it is important to analyze individual criminal behavior while assessing how mental illnesses play a role in the onset of crime. Examples of criminal behaviors include violence, drug abuse, homicides, suicides, rape, and other acts of aggression towards innocent individuals. 

Mental Illness and Violence 

In today's society, people have closely related mental illness and the onset of violent behavior. In as much as this has resulted in the hash stigmatization of psychiatric patients, the reality is that there is an association between mental disorder and violence. In the psychiatric department of many hospitals in the United States, many violent patients who require medical attention are presented hence depicting an association between the two events. According to McGinty et al . (2014), many psychiatric units in the hospitals have since been labelled as occupational hazardous areas because the patients have been responsible for causing many assaults in such areas. Therefore, this only proves that these patients carry a potential danger of inflicting violence when released to the outer world. It is also important to appreciate that patients with stable mental illness rarely depict any risk of beginning violence. According to a research, most mentally ill patients have shown an increased tendency to violence at their time of admission to the hospital and during their discharge because most of them are at a period where they are actively experiencing the psychiatric symptoms. 

Studies have further revealed that a majority of people in the criminal populations suffer from mental illnesses. For example, in 1998, the number of mentally ill individuals who were listed in the US penal system amounted to 283, 000. A survey further intimated that 16% of both the prison and jail inmates reported a previous mental health diagnosis or overnight spending at a psychiatric unit. Another 7% of the federal prisoners also depicted a similar trend. In another study where 627 male arrestees were assessed, it was apparent that the prevalence of mental illness among the population was almost three times that found in the general population. In another assessment of the Australian population, 36% of the convicted killers were identified to have engaged in psychiatric treatment at one point in their life before the commitment of their crime ( McGinty et al . 2014). Another factor that contributes to the engagement of medically ill patients in criminal behavior is the fact that most of them usually are victims of barriers to healthcare and treatment. As such, they normally find themselves in the hands of the law for both violent and nonviolent behavior. The violent behavior could be a manifestation of the patient's untreated symptoms that could be in the form of paranoia that might lead to grandiosity or trespassing. It is critical to note that the violence seen in mentally people is not homogenous but might act to reflect various biological, social, and psychodynamic factors. 

In this regard, it is also critical at this juncture to analyze the predictors of violent behavior among the mentally ill. Mental illness is viewed as a causative agent which is supported by other risk factors that might be classified as historical, clinical, dispositional, and contextual among those suffering from mental health issues. Historical issues might include juvenile detention, parental arrest record, past violence, and physical abuse among others. Clinical factors might include perceived threats and substance abuse while the dispositional factors include age and sex. Finally, the contextual factors include unemployment, victimization, and even a case of a recent divorce. An example of how these relationship works were proved through research where violence was least experienced in mentally ill patients who did not engage in the abuse of drugs. The mental illnesses that have mainly been associated with many violent behaviors include schizophrenia, mania, seizure disorder, organic brain syndrome, and alcohol abuse among others. Whereas in many cases mental illness in itself might be the sole contributor of the violent behavior, some might be contributed by other factors such as not receiving proper treatment, a previous history of violence, and the use of drugs and other substances ( Metzl, & MacLeish, 2015). 

Mental Illnesses and Homicides 

Research has found out that people suffering from mental illnesses secondary to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are responsible for about 10% of all the homicide cases that have been witnessed in the United States. For the case of mass killings that percentage is at a whopping 33%. In an experiment that was conducted by a psychiatrist named Stone, 52 murderers were identified to be mentally ill, which was a representation of 23% of the 228 mass killings that had been studied. There are many studies have been carried in the past and present to prove that indeed mental illness is a major cause of homicides. An example is a study that was carried out in Albany County, New York between 1970 and 1975 where 48 homicides were analyzed, and the result was that people who had schizophrenia committed 8 of the cases. Another important revelation was that these individuals were not receiving any form of treatment at the time of the crime. Another similar study that was conducted in 1985 postulated that 7 out of the 71 homicides carried out between 1978 and 1980 in California, more specifically, Contra Costa County, were perpetrated by people who had been diagnosed of schizophrenia. In Indiana, another study revealed that out of the 518 individuals that had been convicted of homicide charges between 1990 and 2002, 53 had been previously diagnosed of schizophrenia and bipolar disease among other psychotic disorders that had nothing to do with drug or substance abuse. 

Most of these research focus on only individuals who were tried and thereafter taken to prison after being found guilty of the homicide charges. Therefore, it is important to note that such numbers would be high if those who committed homicides and were subsequently found unfit or incompetent to stand trial or not guilty by virtue of insanity were included. Such people are therefore sent psychiatric facilities making their numbers unaccounted for. In mentally ill individuals, it has been found that the thought that leads to incidents of homicides is referred to as the homicidal ideation. Homicidal ideation is not a disease on its own but has been identified to result from diseases such as psychosis and delirium. In the United States, 10-17% of the patients that present in the psychiatric facilities exhibit the homicidal ideation which is equivalent to the fantasy of committing murder mainly as a revenge tactic. Homicidal ideation is a critical indicator in determining an individual's engagement in the act of violence or aggression. Most serial killers have also been associated with specific types of mental disorders. The most common mental illness that is associated with serial killers is Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). It has been postulated that a majority of patients with APD exhibit limited psychopathy and also have limited grandiosity and empathy. Some of the psychopathic traits that have been associated with these types of murders include manipulation, charm, and intimidation. However, not all psychopaths are associated with serial killing. 

Mental Illness and Suicide 

There is also a close association between mental illness and incidences of suicide. A majority of people experiencing various forms of mental disorders do not die due to suicide. However, it is imperative to note the fact that among those who die from suicide, a whopping 90% have been diagnosed with a mental illness in the past. In a majority of the cases, individuals who die of suicide have been identified to experience undiagnosed, untreated, or undertreated forms of mental depression. Suicide is among the top three leading causes of death in the world especially among people aged between 15 and 44 years old. According to research, between 2 and 15% of people that have been diagnosed with major depression are likely to die as a result of suicide. Further research has shown that between 3 and 20% of individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder are likely to die as a result of suicide. Other compounding factors that might also lead to the incident of suicide among bipolar patients include recent hospital discharge, hopelessness, prior suicide attempt, and in some cases family history. Between 6 and 15% of schizophrenia patients are likely to die due to suicide. It is also important to appreciate the fact that suicide is a major cause of death in people with undiagnosed schizophrenia. Another important factor to note that suicide in schizophrenia victims is majorly prevalent among the males with a whopping 75-95%. 

The group that is most likely to die due to suicide is that where individuals suffer a combination of depression and another mental disease. Those at a greater risk of suicide include individuals suffering from a combination of depression with one or more of the following disorders including bipolar disease, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and most importantly drug and substance abuse. Another class of mentally ill people is those suffering from personality disorders. Such people are three times more likely to succumb to suicide than individuals without the disease. Another example of a mental illness that is highly associated with suicide is post-traumatic stress disorder. A person is likely to commit suicide because the illness follows an experience that is horrifying which is associated with physical harm in most cases. Schizophrenia is likely to cause suicide because it distorts the way a person thinks, perceives reality, acts, or depict their emotions. Another disorder that has a considerable impact on a person's likelihood to commit suicide is referred to as the Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) which is characterized by unstable behaviour, moods, and relationships. 

Mental Illness and Sexual Abuse 

Sexual abuse mostly occurs in the form of rape. Rape is defined as an unlawful vaginal or anal penetration perpetrated against an individual. The sources of penetration can either be penises, fingers, and even objects while the objects of penetration include the vagina, oral, or anal. Mental health is a topic that is closely associated with such cases of sexual violence and abuse. It has been suggested that most rapists suffer from various forms of mental disorders. People suffering from psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, often commit rape or depict abnormal sexual tendencies which might be associated with psychosis or disinhibition. Research has also postulated that individuals suffering from mental illnesses such as mania and hypomania are likely to be sexually disinhibited to the perpetration of sexual violence against other individuals. Individuals that have been diagnosed with schizophrenia are four times more likely to engage in serious sexual offences than those who do not have any form of mental illness. Mental illness causes what is referred to as cognitive distortion in an individual which minimizes the offender’s judgments while carrying out a sexual offence. Mentally ill individuals believe in some factors which are used in their justification of their criminal sexual behavior. Examples of the theories that run in the minds of the offenders include the fact that women are sex objects and that the desire for sex among the males is uncontrollable. Rapists also believe that women are different from them and anything they will be for their greater good. Cognitive distortions among the rapists also give them a perception that women are entitled to their needs and sex is one of them. Among other belief that runs in the mind of mentally ill individuals is the fact that the world is a dangerous place with multiple injustices and therefore, just like any other person, they are continuing the negativities that make the world an unsafe place to stay in. 

The perpetuation of sexual abuse in individuals especially women can be helped with the mental illness. Research has postulated that up to 40% of women that are experiencing severe mental illness have been victims of either rape or attempted rape. The research further postulated that women who are experiencing severe mental diseases are five times more likely to be victims of sexual abuse than the general population. The reason is that most mental disorders or illnesses put the women in a position where they are easily compromised because they cannot make crucial and sound judgments and perception concerning what is actually happening. The research further ascertained that out of the 40% of women who had experienced rape or attempted rape, 53% of the population subsequently was engaged in an attempted suicide. However, this that does necessarily mean that men are exempted from rape or any other form of sexual abuse. The research also postulated that 12% of men that were suffering from severe mental illness were exposed to sexual assault compared to a paltry 0.5% that was experienced in the general population ( Elliott et al . 2012). 

Mental Illness and Domestic Violence 

Other than the sexual abuse, men and women have also been identified as potential targets or perpetrators of domestic violence. Domestic violence is normally characterized by physical, emotional, and even sexual abuse. With regards to being a target for domestic violence, research conducted revealed that 69% and 49% of women and men with severe mental illness have reported a case to do with adulthood domestic violence as asserted by Lorenc et al . (2012). There is a close relationship between domestic violence and mental illness because each can result in the other. In equal measures, domestic violence can be a great contributor to mental illness in an individual. Although a majority of domestic violence cases are down to the fact that men still want to dominate women as prescribed in the institution of gender roles, it is apparent that some of the cases are a result of cases of mental illnesses. Such individuals become verbally, sexually, and even physically abusive to their partners. They might also threaten their spouses and children to committing the unthinkable if they fail to do as they wish. 

Most domestic abusers have been identified to possess a host of psychiatric issues that range from schizophrenia to narcissism. Some believe that they are entitled to their partners in several ways including emotionally, physically, and even sexually. Most of the violence they commit is due to an overreaction to any perceived threat to any of their supposed possessions. 

Mental Illness and Drug Abuse 

Drug abuse is another criminal activity that has been prohibited in many countries and states. Research has shown that there is close comorbidity between mental illness and drug abuse where each can play a role in the causation of the other. Mental illness is a major cause of drug and substance abuse. Most of these drugs are criminal and such individuals are subject to arrest by the law enforcement agencies. Individuals that are suffering from mild, overt, or subclinical mental disorders might be engaged in drug abuse as a way of self-medication. Schizophrenia patients resort to tobacco and marijuana smoking as a way of lessening the manifestation of the disease and even improve their cognition. It is also important to be cognizant of the fact that increased use of the drugs can greatly contribute to the worsening of the mental illnesses. The main reason why mental illness individuals will resort to drug and substance use is due to self-medication. Most of these patients will resort to the usage of these drugs for purposes of medicating the health symptoms that are disruptive or uncomfortable. The usage of these drugs is not just an illegal issue, but it is further detrimental because it increases their probability of engaging in other criminal activities such as violence, sexual assault, and other acts of deviance. 

Examples of situations where the mentally ill patients will engage in illegal drugs to medicate their health problems include when a depressed patient uses marijuana for numbing pain. A patient suffering from panic attacks might engage in the usage of drugs such as benzodiazepines to calm the symptoms and mitigate any imminent attack. Other illegal drugs that might be used include cocaine, heroin, and even crystal meth among others. When the usage of drugs becomes so common in such people, drug connections and networks begin to increase thereby leading to an increasing drug trafficking locally and abroad which is a serious criminal activity. The use of illegal drugs by these individuals has numerous collateral damages as these drugs do little in solving the underlying mental disorder. The drugs create newer problems and also increase the severity of the mental health issue. 

How Mental Illness Influences Criminal Behavior 

The prior sections have proven that there is a close relationship between mental illness and the onset of criminal behavior. Mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been identified to be on the forefront in enhancing acts of criminality among the victims. In this regard, it is important to analyze how these conditions influence the likelihood of a person engaging in criminal behavior. A study that was dubbed ‘'Mental illness and the criminal justice system'' postulated that 16% of the inmate population were suffering from various forms of mental illness ( Peterson et al . 2014). Therefore, this study played an important role in ascertaining that indeed mental illness was responsible for many criminal behaviors among the general population. In further assessing how mental illness influences the likelihood of a mental disorder, it is crucial to understand the individual mental illness. For example, a disease such as the multiple personality disorder alters the personality of an individual rendering the person different from what they actually were. Therefore, the person experiences various voices, memories, mannerisms, beliefs, and character traits that shift between their previous and current personalities. Therefore, such an individual is likely to commit a crime without knowing it because it could be either of the multiple personalities that are responsible. In equal measures, one of the personalities in an individual suffering from this disorder might be angry with another person causing them to cause violence without even knowing. 

Another example of a mental illness that can be useful in the analysis of how such disorders influence an individual's engagement in criminal activity is schizophrenia. The hallmark of a person suffering from this disorder is illusions and delusions. When they are attacked with delusions, most of them are not aware of what they are actually doing. An individual suffering from this illness is likely to have distorted beliefs and a different perception of things hence putting them in a risky position with regards to their involvement in criminal activities. Other disorders such as mania and bipolar disease have been heavily implicated in causing criminal behavior because they make the mind unstable. 

Reducing Crime in Mentally Ill 

After appreciating the fact that mental illness is a cause of criminal behavior among individuals, it is also vital to develop strategies that will ensure that such crimes are mitigated among these particular kinds of people. Brandt, (2012) asserted that the first among the list of remedies is treating the mentally ill patients. Research that has been conducted in the correctional services and psychiatric units has revealed that most patients who engaged in criminal behavior were those who either didn't receive any treatment for the condition or those who had aborted the treatment midway. Provision of mental healthcare not only has benefits to an individual but the society at large. Medication is an important step in ensuring that criminal behavior is effectively reduced among the mentally ill. Research has postulated that taking antipsychotic medication and mood-stabilizing medication is important in reducing the effects of mental disorders such as the bipolar disease hence reducing an individual's predisposition to crime. The drugs work to restore sanity by taming the delusions, preventing relapses, and restoring emotional disorder. By doing so, the individual regains mental stability and becomes aware of their environment thus preventing them from engaging in such deviant behavior. It is also important to appreciate the fact that such an initiative will be beneficial to the society as it will coexist well with such victims. 

In many countries, there is an ongoing conundrum and debate as to whether the criminal justice system should focus on the treatment or punishment of mentally ill individuals who engage in criminal behavior. Morgan et al . (2012) asserted that the general population is usually against the opinion that mentally ill individuals who commit crime be hospitalized and later discharged after showing signs of improvement. However, it is important to appreciate the criminal justice's take on this issue. When an individual commits a criminal activity, and they are unable to stand trial due to their incapacitation, it becomes difficult for them to be punished because of being not guilty on the grounds of insanity. Some countries have resorted to hospitalization which is followed by incarceration in a bid to effectively deal with the condition of the victim and also their correction. Incarceration in some cases can precede hospitalization. The court can also determine what is referred to as the treatment years. This will be determined incognizant of the magnitude of the crime. However, the dilemma remains controversial as there is an important need to strike a balance between the rights of the patients to treatment and the role of the courts in ensuring the safety of the public. Therefore, the question remains, should mentally ill persons who engage in criminal acts be punished or should they be referred to psychiatric treatment. The United States has a clause in its judicial system that is referred to as ‘'guilty but mentally ill.'' However, this is not necessarily a ground for ruling but only suggests that the individual is found guilty and is, therefore, a candidate for punishment. 

Mental Illness and Crime: Misconception 

Although it has been proven that mental illness is a major cause of criminal behavior in the society, several misconceptions are associated with this kind of relationship. The mass media has been implicated in perpetrating this form of misconception and associating it with some violent incidences that include domestic violence and mass shootings. Rogers & Pilgrim, (2014) pointed out that the American Psychological Association has postulated that the crimes associated with mental illness only account for a paltry 7.5%. Whereas this is debatable, it is imperative to note that numerous other factors might lead to criminal behavior including substance abuse, poverty, homelessness, and unemployment among others factors. One of the major misconceptions associated with mental illness is that anybody suffering from such a disorder is likely to be involved in criminal behavior. One thing that should be well understood is that not all mental health concerns are critical enough to warrant a person to participate in such unlawful activities. Only a few notable mental disorders have been associated with criminal activity including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Most of them have insignificant effect with regards to causing individuals to engage in crime. 

Another common misconception that has been associated with the relationship between mental illness and crime is that it is an isolated matter. It is wrongful to believe that mental illness as a factor will act alone. Other compounding factors might work together with mental illness in enabling an individual to carry out an unlawful act of crime. One example of a compounding factor that will most definitely work hand in hand with mental illness in enabling an individual to commit crime is drug and substance abuse. As stated earlier, most individuals suffering from mental disorders will resort to drugs as a self-medication strategy. In the process, they do more harm than good as it only works to worsen their already deplorable conditions hence exposing them to crime and other deviant behaviors. 

Dissenting Opinions 

As much as it is commonly held that mental illness is a causative agent of criminal activities, a section of researchers have given dissenting views about this and have thus asserted that there is no correlation between these two events. According to a research that was carried, the result was that most of the offenders did not display any crime pattern that was related to mental illness symptoms. A research that was conducted by the American Psychological Association postulated that a paltry 7.5% of the criminal activities carried out were directly associated with mental illness. Another study that involved 429 criminal activities where 143 offenders were analyzed had the result as 3% of the victims were suffering from depression, 4% schizophrenia, and a further 10% of the individuals suffered from bipolar disorder ( Skeem et al. 2012).The researchers further accused the media of ballooning the crimes that are committed by the mentally ill individuals hence giving the general public false perception with regards to the behavior of the mentally ill individuals. The general opinion of people against the idea of relating mental illness to crime is that a majority of people with mental illness are neither dangerous nor violent and therefore are free from criminal activities. According to the research, the major reasons that are associated with criminal activities include unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, and poverty among others. It failed to prove that there is a group of people that continuously engage in crime due to their mental condition. It has further been asserted that most of the crimes carried out by these mentally ill patients are due to other confounding factors such as drug and substance abuse. Therefore, it is entirely wrong to associate mental illness and crime. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, there is a clear relationship between mental illness and the development of criminal activities. The relationship is that mental disorders increase the likelihood that an individual will carry out illegal or outlawed activities. The discussion has been successful in describing mental illness as any disease that affects an individual's behavior, thinking, and emotions. Various forms of mental illnesses occur including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and multiple personality disorder among many others. All these illnesses have varying degrees of impact on individuals. Research has asserted that some of the reasons why these disease cause crime in an individual is because they cause delusion, illusion, multiple personalities in the same individual, while others cause severe depression. Therefore, the illnesses can lead to multiple criminal behaviours that include violence, homicides, suicides, deviant behaviour, drug trafficking and abuse, and sexual violence among many others. In this regards, it is important to analyze how mental illness influences criminal behaviour and also remaining keen to analyze some major misconceptions that are associated with this kind of relationship. Finally, it is also critical to analyze any dissenting views that are against the assertions that criminal acts are as a result of mental illness. 

References 

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