Treatment of substance abuse can lessen risk of future violence in mentally ill, study finds

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2014/09/059.html

By Cathy Wilde
Release Date: September 30, 2014

If a person is dually diagnosed with a severe mental illness and a substance abuse problem, are improvements in their mental health or in their substance abuse most likely to reduce the risk of future violence?

Although some may believe that improving symptoms of mental illness is more likely to lessen the risk for future episodes of violence, a new study from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) suggests that reducing substance abuse has a greater influence in reducing violent acts by patients with severe mental illness.

“We were surprised to find that the severity of the patient’s psychiatric symptoms was not the primary factor in predicting later aggression,” says Clara Bradizza, senior research scientist at RIA and co-author of the study. “Rather, the patient’s substance abuse was the factor most closely associated with future aggression.”

Although the vast majority of people with mental illness do not engage in violent acts, the risk of violence is greater among the severely mentally ill than among the general population, and the connection between severe mental illness, substance abuse and aggression is a significant concern for community safety, treatment programs and public policy.

•••••