The problem researched in the proposed study is the question of misrepresentation of mentally ill people in public view, particularly in the aftermath of mass shootings. The problem is evidenced by the prevailing public and media discourse that is typically centered around the mental health of the perpetrator, even if there is no evidence suggesting that the perpetrator experienced any mental health issues. Such framing is problematic for two reasons. First of all, it shifts the public attention away from the real causes of gun violence. Secondly, it contributes to the perpetuation of the existing stigmas and stereotypes regarding the mentally ill individuals, effectively obscuring the unaddressed problem of victimization of the mentally ill (Teplin, McClelland, Abram & Weiner, 2005). On the medical side, there is no scientific evidence that supports the claim that mental health issues are inherently linked to increased violence (Peterson, Skeem, Kennealy, Bray & Zvonkovic, 2014).
The proposed study aims to analyze whether the phenomenon of misrepresentation can be classified as an instance of a moral panic. Moral panics are a concept used in the social constructionist approach to social sciences, including criminology, that refers to those events that prompt one part of a community to believe that another distinct social group threatens the well-being of their community or society (Goode & Ben-Yehuda, 2009). This phenomenon is problematic because it leads to the demonization and dehumanization of the members of the group that is perceived to be dangerous, and it also hinders and obstructs effective policy-making. The goal of the study is to reveal the inappropriateness of a mental health-centered approach to gun control public policy and emphasize the need for information dissemination and education in the sphere of mental health.
Current Events
Media accounts that warrant the relevance of the selected research problem appear both in printed and online outlets with disconcerting frequency. Thus, for instance, the recent random mass shooting that took place in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been attributed to the mental instability and possible depression of the perpetrator. Thus, for instance, an article in The Guardian that was published in the aftermath of the event included statements made by a professor at Penn State University about the commonness of mental health histories in such cases. The citation seems irrelevant as the author himself later admits that the perpetrator in the Kalamazoo case did not fit the typical mass shooter profile (Felton, 2016).
Even those cases where the primary motivation behind the crime is linked to other reasons prompt policy-makers to bring the mental health dimension to the discussion about the gun control reforms. This was the case in the recent San Bernardino shooting: even though the authorities suspected the shooting to be primarily linked to terrorism, one of the speakers called for updating the country’s mental health laws, without making a clear link between the shooting and these laws (Frej, 2015). Such kind of lobbying has been so powerful that it even resulted in a major gun control reform approved by President Obama in early 2016. The reform that was subject to significant controversy, in fact, merely clarified the existing patient privacy laws, requiring certain organizations to disclose some mental health-related information to the national background check database (Whitman, 2016). What these stories have in common is that they tend to ignore the fact that most people who suffer from mental health issues are, in fact, nonviolent.
References
Felton, R. (2016). Motive remains unclear in Kalamazoo shooting: ‘People just don’t snap.’
Frej, W. (2015). Paul Ryan: We must address mental illness to curb mass shootings.
Goode, E., & Ben-Yehuda, N. (2009). Moral panics: The social construction of deviance (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
Peterson, J.K., Skeem, J., Kennealy, P., Bray, B., & Zvonkovic, A. (2014). How often and how consistently do symptoms directly precede criminal behavior among offenders with mental illness? Law and Human Behavior, 38(5), 439-449.
Teplin, L. A., McClelland, G. M., Abram, K. M., & Weiner, D. A. (2005). Crime victimization in adults with severe mental illness: Comparison with the National Crime Victimization Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(8), 911-921.
Whitman, E. (2016). Guns and mental illness: White House releases new reporting guidelines for background check database.