Putting community risk in perspective: A look at correlations, causes and controls

Much research, but not all, appears to show that persons with severe mental illness are more dangerous and violent than others; but it is misleading and feeds the stigma cannon. This paper critically reviews reported correlations between severe mental illness and violence, examines their statistical confounds, highlights studies which seek causal mechanisms explaining the associations, points to what those causal mechanisms tell us about controlling risk in the community, and reviews legal attempts to control community risk in light of those causal mechanisms.