MYTH:

People with mental illness are violent and dangerous.*

FACT:

The truth is that, as a group, mentally ill people are no more violent than any other group. In fact, they are far more likely to be the victims of violence than to be violent themselves. 

A client at one of JBFCS' day treatment programs has this to say: 

"My experience with the mentally ill, including myself, tells me that most mental ill people are timid when it comes to being violent. They would rather sink into themselves than hurt another person. There are those who like to rant and rave, but they too tend to avoid any real violence. If people would approach us with real kindness, I think that nine times out of ten, they will at least get a smile."

The media often perpetuates this myth of violence. The Canadian Mental Health Association further explains: 

People with mental disorders are, many times, not described accurately or realistically in the media. Movies, television, and books often present people with mental illnesses as dangerous or unstable. News stories sometimes highlight mental illness to create a sensation in a news report, even if the mental illness is not relevant to the story. Violence and mental illness DO NOT go hand in hand.