Violence is painfully once again in the headlines in this county. Orlando tragically adds to the list of mass shootings this year that demonstrates that the U.S., with 5 percent of the population of the globe, had 31 percent of its public mass shootings. The number of mass murders in this country in 2016 to date exceeds the days passed this year, which is to say at least one mass murder occurs, on average, every day.
How can we understand the types of individuals who perpetrate acts of violence? There are at least four prototypes of people who seek to harm other people. I described them in a video podcast recently (Mental illness and Violence — 4 minutes) and write them here to help mitigate stigma about mental illness and violence. Each prototype is not exclusive of the others; in fact, the more categories a person conforms to the greater the risk of violence.
The four prototypes are:
1) PSYCHOPATHS — they don’t care about other people.
2) THOSE WHO ARE ENRAGED AND AGGRIEVED — they want to settle a score.
Dr. Lloyd’s two new books are now available: Improving Mental Health: Four Secrets in Plain Sight (2016) and Current Controversies in Mental Health and Addictions: An Expert’s Anthology (2017)