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Fear of the mentally ill: empirical support for the common man's response

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.134.10.1134

The authors studied the hospital records of 400 hospitalized mentally ill patients for evidence of violent behavior leading to admission. They found that 36% of 321 admissions (excluding patients diagnosed as having a personality disorder or as drug-and/or alcohol-dependent) were preceded by some form of violent, fear-inspiring behavior. They suggest that mental health professionals deal with the general public's fear of the mentally ill on the basis of such findings rather than dismiss it as illogical.

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