Mental health and gun violence: the intersection of two public health crises

The drastic toll that the isolation brought on by the coronavirus reminds us that one public health crises doesn’t cancel out the other.

There’s so much more to mental health than drinking water and staying positive.

Especially now, it’s clear to see how interconnected mental health is with other issues. We’ve seen the drastic toll that the isolation and social distancing brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have taken on the collective mental and emotional wellbeing of Americans.

Similarly, the public health crisis of gun violence is inextricably linked to the mental health crisis in our country. Even amidst the pandemic, gun violence persists just as dangerously as before, and requires decisive action to address not just gun violence but mental health as well.

Suicide

Along with these distressing factors plus, access to a firearm triples the suicide death. In the U.S., two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides and the suicide rate is 10 times that of other high-income counties. In the midst of these public health crises, mental health awareness is more important than ever.

Research published by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention showed that limiting a person’s access to methods of suicide dramatically decreases suicide rates in communities. In addition, 90 percent of those who die by suicide have an underlying and potentially treatable mental health condition.

Guns are the most used weapon in suicide, with only a 15 percent survival rate for those who attempt suicide with a gun. States with the highest gun-ownership rates also have the highest suicide rates.

LGBTQ youth

It’s crucial to understand that social distancing forces vulnerable populations like women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ youth to quarantine at home with those who may act hostile towards them.

Since before the pandemic, LGBTQ youth have always had a higher risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide. However, the negative effects of the coronavirus leave them more susceptible to mental health impacts. Social distancing, although necessary for public safety, have acted as a stress-reliever and improves mood in these individuals but now they may possibly have very little positive social interactions.

It might feel the same but physical distancing is not the same as social isolation. With already thriving communities, LGBTQ can still find community virtually.

Domestic violence

Even though it’s still too early to understand the future implications of coronavirus, mental health during this time shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Abusers manipulate guns to impose power dynamics and inflict harm on these victims. More than half of women murdered with guns in the U.S. are killed by an intimate partner or family member, according to Everytown Research. Among these women. Black women are twice as likely as white women to be fatally shot by an intimate partner.

Mass shootings

A common misconception is that people with mental illness are more likely to enact violence, where in reality, they’re more likely to be the victims. However, it’s important to note that not everyone who has a mental health condition is violent which is a caveat frequently used by gunmen.

After the shootings in Dayton, OH and El Paso, TX last August, the American Psychological Association released a statement that blaming mental illness for gun violence oversimplifies the problem and more importantly, it’s inaccurate.

“As we psychological scientists have said repeatedly, the overwhelming majority of people with mental illness are not violent. And there is no single personality profile that can reliably predict who will resort to gun violence. Based on the research, we know only that a history of violence is the single best predictor of who will commit future violence. And access to more guns, and deadlier guns, means more lives lost,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., APA CEO.

Blaming those with mental health conditions for acts of gun violence is dangerous in itself because of the stigma attached to it. We can and must differentiate between those who just need a helping hand and those who are legitimately at risk of hurting someone.

This is why Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) are important. In Florida, ERPO or “red flag laws” allow family members to alert law enforcement who initiate the order in cases of harm to oneself or others. Since August 2019, 2,654 people in Florida have been ordered to relinquish their guns and ammunition and were banned from having any more for up to a year, Tampa Bay Times reported.

In times like these, it may seem like every day we are witnessing more and more tragedies on the news. This can deeply affect you emotionally, mentally, and physically — especially during quarantine when it can be hard to disconnect from the world around you online.

Seeing constant images or videos of tragedies on repeat can resurface trauma. It’s important to know that mental health awareness doesn’t end on May 31. The world may seem bleak now, but soon, things will get better. If signs continue to worsen for a long time and disrupt your daily life, it might be time to reach out to someone.

National Suicide hotline — 1–800–273–8255

Trevor Project — 1–866–488–7386

Trans Lifeline — (877) 565–8860

Domestic Violence Hotline 1–800–799–7233

Laura Tabima, Molly Novin, Olivia Dydzhun, and Rowan O’Flanagan contributed to this story.