Is There a Link Between Mental Disorder and Violence?

Literature considers that violence in patients with severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia can be related to antisocial traits and/or psychotic symptoms (eg, paranoid delusions).¹ In their article, Elbogen and Johnson reported that

Because severe mental illness did not independently predict future violent behavior, these findings challenge perceptions that mental illness is a leading cause of violence in the general population.^2(p152)