Hello all,

I read that mentally ill people, in general, are no more than "normal" people in harming others. It is more in harming themselves. But I need to know how frequent people, especially with G.A.D accompanied with severe depression, think to harm other people (not actually harming them)?

Thanks

[eeyorestail]

I don't know if there are any actual research statistics on this, but I would say it is quite rare. If I had to guess, someone with depression and anxiety probably thinks about harming others less frequently than the average person.

[convalescence]

Finding research on how often people suffering from depression and/or GAD think about harming others would be hard for many reasons, primarily because it's difficult to screen people's thoughts. Even if there was a survey that "answered" this question, it would be self-assessed, so it would more than likely contain inaccuracies.

[joshuas-mommy]

I do not think it is that common.

[mattjstead]

I can relate to this. I dont really think about it it just happens. And I would like you to define "harm". Are we speaking like cutting, shooting, harming someone in a way that will be permanent or just an instance of harm.

One time about a month ago I was having a really rough time. I had drank a few Ales (can't drink beer since I have a Gluten intolerence) and my 2 year old was being very whiney and needy for no reason. It was literally spireling me into a panic attack and I could feel it coming on. I finally yelled at him (yelling for me, I am more quiet so some would proabably not consider it yelling) that "Enough is enough" and I pushed his head (trust me, push is a strong word, it was more like nudged his head to get him to move forward.

What was funny was literally as the moment was happening it was like part of my brain was going fast motion and part slow. As I spoke to him I heard in the back of my head, "Speaking tp him like this is not doing any good. In fact, your a bad father". Which this upset me more, when I nudged/pushed him forward the evil monster roared its head even more and I could hear, "Your a pathic piece of S**T, you just pushed/nudged your son...I wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to you again. You have quined the trust between you two. He looks at you as a threat...a danger...a monther..." and this spiraled me into a panic attack that left me in the fetal position in our living room for an hour. (I had sent him to his bedroom to play with his traqin set).
Maybe its just me but I have these moments where I KNOW what I am going to feel but I do it anyways...I don't understnad it but I do.

Matt S.

[thecrankyone]

Are you talking about thoughts of harming people that you would never actually act on, but can't get out of your head as much as you wish they would go away. I have that issue and it is one of the reasons for the anxiety and skin picking.

It's not the kind of thing one would want to admit to for obvious reasons. I am constantly imagining myself doing awful things that are totally opposite of who I am and what I believe and it is most disconcerting. Admitting it to anyone is likely to have them think you really have scary tendencies, to say nothing of mandated reporting.

From what I've read the mentally ill are more likely to be victims than perpetrators, but the violent ones get all the press, and when someone goes off such as mass shootings the media is all over it.

Things like that tend to skew the public's perception of the mentally ill in a negative light. I wish they could walk a mile in my shoes once.

Originally Posted by mattjstead

I can relate to this. I dont really think about it it just happens. And I would like you to define "harm". Are we speaking like cutting, shooting, harming someone in a way that will be permanent or just an instance of harm.

One time about a month ago I was having a really rough time. I had drank a few Ales (can't drink beer since I have a Gluten intolerence) and my 2 year old was being very whiney and needy for no reason. It was literally spireling me into a panic attack and I could feel it coming on. I finally yelled at him (yelling for me, I am more quiet so some would proabably not consider it yelling) that "Enough is enough" and I pushed his head (trust me, push is a strong word, it was more like nudged his head to get him to move forward.

What was funny was literally as the moment was happening it was like part of my brain was going fast motion and part slow. As I spoke to him I heard in the back of my head, "Speaking tp him like this is not doing any good. In fact, your a bad father". Which this upset me more, when I nudged/pushed him forward the evil monster roared its head even more and I could hear, "Your a pathic piece of S**T, you just pushed/nudged your son...I wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to you again. You have quined the trust between you two. He looks at you as a threat...a danger...a monther..." and this spiraled me into a panic attack that left me in the fetal position in our living room for an hour. (I had sent him to his bedroom to play with his traqin set).
Maybe its just me but I have these moments where I KNOW what I am going to feel but I do it anyways...I don't understnad it but I do.

Matt S.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am sure your son was happy a moment later while playing. I mean 2 years old is too young to resent you. But I think this would affect him when he gets older.

I meant physical harm in general, especially for the people who piss you off continuously.

Regards

Originally Posted by thecrankyone

Are you talking about thoughts of harming people that you would never actually act on, but can't get out of your head as much as you wish they would go away. I have that issue and it is one of the reasons for the anxiety and skin picking.

It's not the kind of thing one would want to admit to for obvious reasons. I am constantly imagining myself doing awful things that are totally opposite of who I am and what I believe and it is most disconcerting. Admitting it to anyone is likely to have them think you really have scary tendencies, to say nothing of mandated reporting.

From what I've read the mentally ill are more likely to be victims than perpetrators, but the violent ones get all the press, and when someone goes off such as mass shootings the media is all over it.

Things like that tend to skew the public's perception of the mentally ill in a negative light. I wish they could walk a mile in my shoes once.

I agree, it is not an easy thing to admit harming thoughts. I think the society exacerbates the problem by expressing its concern, which ironically I am doing here (but at least here it isn't personal). But is this concern justified? I think people around mentally ill people have the right to be sure they are safe after all, don't they?

Thanks

By the way, statistically speaking, is the correlation between a mental illness and violence different from one type of mental illness to another? For example, are people with depression more prone to violence than people with social anxiety?

[thecrankyone]

I don't know the statistics or anything, but I would think it would think it would be most likely among those with psychosis, delusions or otherwise lost contact with reality.

Also certain meds / drugs (legal and illegal) can cause these types of reactions in some people.