Annual Meeting Spotlights Critical Issue of Today: Violence and Mental Illness

Jeffrey Swanson, PhD
Tuesday, April 29, 11:15 AM-12:15 PM

Following the December, 2012, massacre of schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut, and several incidents since, competing conversations about mental illness and violence, safety and civil rights, prediction and prevention, policy and practice collided in the public square. What can scientific evidence contribute in such a moment? What is known about the link between psychopathology and violent behavior? Are clinicians able to "predict" violence in their patients? How effective is psychiatric treatment in reducing violence risk in people with serious mental illnesses? During this session, Dr. Swanson will bring current evidence to bear on these questions and discuss implications for clinicians and mental health stakeholders. Get a preview to Dr. Swanson and this topic in by reviewing a few of the registrant resources provided below.

1. Thinking Differently About Mental Illness and Violence (Video)
2. Signs May Be Evident in Hindsight, but Predicting Violent Behavior Is Tough, New York Times Article
3. Looking into the minds of killers, CNN Opinion Piece
4. Bloomberg Television News Interview (Video)
5. Media Coverage of Mental Illness and Violence, Huffington Post
6. Select Articles Authored by Dr. Swanson
   • Explaining Rare Acts of Violence
   • Alternative Pathways to Violence in Persons with Schizophrenia: The Role of Childhood Antisocial Behavior Problems
   • Comparison of antipsychotic medication effects on reducing violence in people with schizophrenia