Reference no: EM133285258

Case - A recent national survey found that serious mental illness (SMI) is highly correlated with illicit drug use. The data show high rates of substance use and anxiety disorders-which include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Substance use also co-occurs with mental disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychotic illness, borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. Patients with schizophrenia have higher rates of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use disorders than the general population. Around one in four individuals with mental illness have persistent substance use disorders. One possible explanation of these data is that drugs cause people to become mentally ill; another is that mentally ill people use drugs to "self-medicate." Regardless of the cause, we know that (a) people who use drugs commit more crimes than nonabusers, and (b) the mentally ill commit more crimes than the mentally sound.

Question - What is your take on mental illness, substance abuse, and crime? How would you describe the true association, and time order, of these behaviors? Describe how each may be an effect or cause, and how all three interact.