Link Between Violence and Mental Health in Asians is Complex

June 28, 2023

The early 2023 shootings in Monterey Park and Halfmoon Bay have triggered widespread scrutiny of the mental health of both the Asian perpetrators and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as a whole. These discussions reflect the media’s tendency to speculate about the mental health of the perpetrator whenever violent events occur.

But experts say that the link between violence and mental health is far more complex. And for Asian Americans, living in an era of anti-Asian violence has created other mental health effects that only exacerbate existing disparities within the community.

AsAmNews spoke to psychologists, activists, and experts to understand the mental health impacts of violence within the AAPI community, and how to support those who are struggling with these heavily stigmatized issues.

Contrary to public perception, the evidence linking mental health and violence is weak, according to many experts. Major organizations such as the American Psychological Association and MentalHealth.gov, agree that the majority of people who commit violence don’t have mental illnesses. In fact, evidence suggests that people with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators themselves.

According to Dr. Jeff Mio, a retired psychology professor at Cal Poly Pomona, the common association of mental health with violence is a result of a phenomenon called “illusory correlation.” This effect occurs when two infrequent events happen together, creating the illusion that they are both more common than they are in reality.

“If someone who is mentally ill also uses a firearm or engages in some sort of violence, then you have two relatively infrequent events co-occurring,” says Mio. “And then observers look at that and say, ‘then they must occur a lot.’”

The illusory correlation between mental health and violence could worsen the already heavy stigma surrounding mental illness. Dr. Michi Fu, a licensed psychologist specializing in cross-cultural and international mental health, says those assumptions are “frightening,” and may discourage people struggling with their mental health from finding help.

Read more at AsAmNews.com.