(Aug. 12, 2014) An executive walking near a shopping mall in the posh California suburb of La Jolla was allegedly stabbed 40 times by a man whose father said is suffering from bipolar disorder the family can do nothing to help because the suspect is an adult ("Father says he tried to warn authorities about son," CBS8 San Diego, Aug. 8).
"What I want people to know is that my son has mental illness," father Odie Miller Sr., said. His son, Odie Jr., is "bright, talented, creative and personable," according to the father. "That's on his medication - without his medication - his life becomes unmanageable."
The victim is recovering at home. Miller Jr., 20, has been charged with attempted murder.
The association between violence and serious mental illness is hotly debated in mental health circles but not in the academic or scientific worlds. There, it is almost universally acknowledged that – while most people with severe mental illness are never violent – untreated mental illness is a risk factor for committing violent acts.
"Are people with serious mental illness who are not being treated dangerous?" is one of 15 recently updated Treatment Advocacy Center backgrounders that address important issues in mental health. The paper summarizes research into the association between untreated mental illness and violence and provides references to relevant studies.
When when timely and effective intervention is not available, terrible variety of consequences befall at-risk individuals like Odie Miller Jr., their families and their communities. To raise awareness of the devastating consequences of not treating serious mental illness, including the potential for violence, share "Are people with serious mental illness who are not being treated dangerous? with your local community members, politicians and media.
For more information about mental illness treatment issues, visit the "Reports, Studies, Backgrounders" page on our website and our TACReports.org site dedicated to the Treatment Advocacy Center's original research.
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