Mental Health Isn’t the Enemy: Debunking Myths About Mass Shootings
Mass shootings have become an all-too-frequent headline in the United States. Each time it happens, we grieve. We search for answers. And too often, we hear the same refrain: “It’s a mental health problem.”
Mental health professionals know this narrative is not only misleading—it’s harmful. It fuels stigma, distracts from systemic issues, and prevents meaningful solutions. Let’s talk about what we wish everyone understood about mental health and mass shootings, and why it matters for healing, advocacy, and progress.
Myth: “Mental Illness Causes Mass Shootings”
One of the most persistent myths after mass shootings is that the perpetrator must have been mentally ill. While it’s true that some individuals who commit violence may have mental health conditions, most people with mental illness are not violent. In fact, they are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators.
Blaming mental illness reinforces dangerous stereotypes that people living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia are inherently unsafe. This simply isn’t true—and it contributes to shame, isolation, and barriers to care.
What the Research Actually Says
Studies show that only a small percentage of mass shootings are committed by individuals with diagnosable, severe mental illness. Other factors—like access to firearms, histories of domestic violence, white supremacist ideologies, and misogyny—are often far more predictive.
Mental illness is not a moral failing. And it's not a scapegoat for complex social problems.
The Cost of Stigma
When public figures and media outlets lean on the “mental health crisis” narrative without nuance, it increases stigma and discourages people from seeking therapy. It creates fear, not understanding. And it wrongly suggests that the solution to mass violence lies in institutionalizing people with mental illness—many of whom are already struggling under the weight of a broken healthcare system.
We should be expanding access to trauma-informed, community-based mental health care—not using it as a rhetorical shield to avoid addressing gun laws, social inequality, and hate-fueled violence.
What We Should Be Talking About Instead
Instead of blaming mental illness, we need to talk about:
Gun access and common-sense legislation
The link between domestic violence and mass shootings
The rise in hate crimes and radicalization
The mental health impacts of mass shootings on survivors, communities, and the general public
As therapists, we’re trained to look at root causes and systemic patterns. We see how repeated exposure to mass violence takes a toll—on our clients, our communities, and ourselves.
What Healing Looks Like
If you're feeling overwhelmed, angry, anxious, or numb after yet another violent headline, you are not alone. Mass shootings affect all of us—whether directly or indirectly. Therapy can help you process those emotions, build resilience, and reconnect with hope and purpose.
And if you're someone living with a mental health condition, we want you to know this: You are not dangerous. You are worthy of care, compassion, and dignity.
Advocacy Is a Form of Healing
Mental health professionals don’t just help individuals—we advocate for change. That means pushing back against harmful myths, fighting for better access to care, and joining the call for policies that protect lives and reduce harm.
We believe in a world where people get the support they need without fear, shame, or stigma. And we believe that mass violence is preventable—not by scapegoating the vulnerable, but by confronting the systems that perpetuate harm.
Looking for support in difficult times?
My practice offers compassionate, trauma-informed therapy for adults navigating anxiety, depression, grief, and collective trauma. Whether you’re struggling in the aftermath of a mass shooting or feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world, I’m here to help you process, heal, and take empowered steps forward. Contact me today to find out more.
Related Articles: How the Average Person Can Help Prevent Mass Shootings: A Therapist’s Guide to Advocacy and Action
