05/25/2026
When people are repeatedly told a bit of information, regardless of whether or not it is true, they can experience what is known as "illusory truth effect." We are seeing this over and over again in response to mass shootings, where mental health issues are blamed for causing the epidemic of gun violence in this country, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
While it seems easy to blame domestic terrorism and rampant gun violence in this country on people with mental health issues, this mindset and argument instead serves only to create and perpetuate stigma around mental illness, while also not offering a viable solution to decrease the severity of this epidemic. People with mental health issues are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violence than the general population. Please read that again.
In our collective defense, these gunmen's actions are, to most of us, unimaginable, so of course we are going to look for ways to separate ourselves from these monsters and create 'us vs them' in an effort to distance ourselves from people who could act on their hatred in such a violent way. It's human nature. In this particular example, however, we are wrong.
Aggressors and domestic terrorists who engage in hate- and intolerance-fueled violence do not necessarily have an organic mental illness like schizophrenia or depression. They may not fulfill diagnostic criteria for any diagnosis, but if they do, they almost certainly have antisocial personality disorder, a DSM diagnosis that describes patterns of antisocial, criminal, and sociopathic behavior. Personality disorders are characterized by impairments in personality, interpersonal functioning, and the presence of pathological personality traits.
Treatment of antisocial personality disorder is incredibly difficult, as it requires someone to A) have the insight and self-awareness to recognize that they need therapeutic support, and B) seek out and engage in therapy. The very nature of the disorder creates inherent boundaries to getting people to appropriately engage in treatment, and even if they get there, the prognosis is generally quite poor. Court-mandated therapy is highly unlikely to be an effective intervention because people get out of therapy what they put into it, so a resistant client is not likely to experience any lasting change. Medication isn’t effective because personality disorders are not organic in nature. Some people with antisocial personality disorder experience legal ramifications because of their criminal behavior, but this alone is not an effective treatment, either.
While I believe that mental health services in this country could benefit from improvements in both quality and accessibility, I do not believe that this is an answer to the rampant gun violence in this country. Mental health disorders exist in every country in the world, and yet the US has extraordinarily high levels of domestic terrorism.
Blaming gun violence on mental health issues means that we have an "easy answer," instead of forcing us to do what needs to be done, which is engage in meaningful dialogue and research about societal issues contributing to this epidemic, including racism, misogyny, xenophobia, addiction, at risk people's access to guns, poverty, and inequality. I encourage this country to take a look at mental health issues CAUSED by these mass murders. This is an aspect that is rarely talked about, and is really important.
Hatred, intolerance, and murder are not mental health issues, and we as a country need to do better in our discussion about these challenges that affect all of us.
For your information: 👇
To diagnose antisocial personality disorder, the following criteria must be met:
A. Significant impairments in personality functioning manifest by:
1. Impairments in self functioning (a or b):
a. Identity: Ego-centrism; self-esteem derived from personal gain, power, or pleasure.
b. Self-direction: Goal-setting based on personal gratification; absence of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behavior.
AND
2. Impairments in interpersonal functioning (a or b):
a. Empathy: Lack of concern for feelings, needs, or suffering of others; lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating another.
b. Intimacy: Incapacity for mutually intimate relationships, as exploitation is a primary means of relating to others, including by deceit and coercion; use of dominance or intimidation to control others.
B. Pathological personality traits in the following domains:
1. Antagonism, characterized by:
a. Manipulativeness: Frequent use of subterfuge to influence or control others; use of seduction, charm, glibness, or ingratiation to achieve one's ends.
b. Deceitfulness: Dishonesty and fraudulence; misrepresentation of self; embellishment or fabrication when relating events.
c. Callousness: Lack of concern for feelings or problems of others; lack of guilt or remorse about the negative or harmful effects of one's actions on others; aggression; sa**sm.
d. Hostility: Persistent or frequent angry feelings; anger or irritability in response to minor slights and insults; mean, nasty, or vengeful behavior.
2. Disinhibition, characterized by:
a. Irresponsibility: Disregard for – and failure to honor – financial and other obligations or commitments; lack of respect for – and lack of follow-through on – agreements and promises.
b. Impulsivity: Acting on the spur of the moment in response to immediate stimuli; acting on a momentary basis without a plan or consideration of outcomes; difficulty establishing and following plans.
c. Risk taking: Engagement in dangerous, risky, and potentially self-damaging activities, unnecessarily and without regard for consequences; boredom proneness and thoughtless initiation of activities to counter boredom; lack of concern for one's limitations and denial of the reality of personal danger.
C. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual's personality trait expression are relatively stable across time and consistent across situations.
D. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual's personality trait expression are not better understood as normative for the individual's developmental stage or sociocultural environment.
E. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual's personality trait expression are not solely due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., severe head trauma).
F. The individual is at least age 18 years.
Antisocial personality disorder falls under the dramatic/erratic cluster of personality disorders, "Cluster B".
Written by Shannon Brock, LCSWR
Adirondack Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, LCSW
