My interest lies in crimes that are related to mental health, which has inspired me to explore their causes, societal implications, and strategies for prevention and resolution that could be implemented in the future. In my view, the following ten types of crimes involving mental illness are particularly worth examining given their social implications:
- Assault driven by psychotic episodes
- Domestic disturbances and family violence
- Substance-related offenses
- Property damage
- Theft and shoplifting
- Arson
- Homicide during severe mental breakdowns
- Sexual offenses
- Fraud and cybercrime
- Self-directed crimes, including suicide attempts and acts of self-harm
Considering self-directed crimes that are ranked as the tenth rank, so, such as suicide attempts and self-harm has a involvement with the mental healths disorders. These acts often stem from depression, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. Certain individuals are prone to this act and never speak a word of it, which makes detection and prevention a challenge. Many countries have historically criminalized suicide, which implies the treatment of victims as offenders as opposed to addressing their health needs. Note the severe consequences: invisibility, stigma, high medical and societal costs, ethical dilemmas, psychological suffering, broken support systems, and multigenerational harm. Self-directed crimes should give us a reason to reflect on society’s failure to understand and respond with empathy to the struggles of victims. In my view, society must shift its perspective. Rather than treating these acts as moral, legal failures, we need to perceive them as medical emergencies. This entails accessible mental-health treatments, decreased stigma, and comprehensive support systems to prevent crises.
Another crime worth looking into is fraud and cybercrime. Both of them can be influenced by mental health conditions such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Bipolar Mania. In particular, Narcissistic Personality Disorder entails an exaggerated sense of self-importance, where someone does not understand the degree to which they have delusions of grandeur, an incessant need for attention and admiration while lacking empathy for others. However, it emerges a significant problem regarding these crimes due to the fact that these disorders can be scaled massively and it is hard to detect the conditions at an early stage, then exploits the society’s digital dependence on public trust.
This issues regarding the crimes of Fraud and cybercrimes, reveal the fast evolving technology of the society that has brought up both positive benefits and negative setbacks that follow up: the technology had brought a convenience into the society, but also brought out the ethical and moral values into not being as important as it was before, when there was no fast-evolving technology. In specific, this fast paced evolving technology has made the society to have an undermined trust about our ability as a society to abide by ethical values, when there are people who feel as though their anonymity can make them feel invincible and can get away with anything.
To minimize fraud and cybercrimes, we must push our governments to pass stronger laws and raise awareness and promote digital literacy so that citizens are less vulnerable to fraudulent schemes and manipulations. Additionally, it requires an effort in order to push for education about recognizing scams, securing personal information, and understanding the psychological tactics used by criminals. Also, it is essential for promoting ethical tech use, implementing advanced security tools like encryption, and offering rehabilitation programs for juvenile offenders that can aid in preventing future crimes and creating a safer digital society for both the civilians and society as a whole.
When it comes to sexual offenses, it is also strongly influenced by Paraphilic disorders, trauma history, and impulse control disorders, such factors can play a role in causing perpetrators to commit such crimes. Eventually, the lack of regard for the victim’s age, consent, or humanity, often leads to severe harm on the others. The common traits that were observed were the obsessive desire for sexual acts without regard to these consideration is a pattern that is detected in these people.
This pattern reflects societal neglect, especially governmental failure, to address mental health challenges. In fact the lack of the specialized mental health facilities and institutions that are offering specific types of a treatment in the mental health disorders catagory–such as trauma-informed care and targeted therapies for both paraphilic and impulse control disorders– have only worsened the issue due to the in reduced accessibilities in getting these treatments in early stages.
In order to reduce the occurrence of these crimes, it makes sense for governments to prioritize expanding access to specialized psychiatric care and mental health hospitals that can give these people the necessary help. Consistent sex education is also vital in fostering healthy attitudes and reducing risks of sexual crimes. Moreover, the combination of enhanced healthcare infrastructure and education can protect vulnerable people from harm, which emphasizes that the society must fully recognize and aim to tackle the roots of sex crimes for prevention in the future.
Homicidal crime cases that are induced by mental breakdown are the rare cases, but it is also a critical issue that is worthy of investigation. The crime is associated with psychotic episodes. Research shows that roughly 38.5% of homicides that were committed by individuals with untreated psychotic illnesses occur before any treatment. There are about 1.59 homicides cases per 1,000 first-episode psychosis cases. This rate is actually 15 times higher than the cases of homicides that were committed by those who were treated for psychosis. A noteworthy observation is that untreated conditions such as severe psychosis, command hallucinations and delusions, as well as a lack of emergency psychiatric care and medication withdrawal can contribute to these crimes.
This phenomenon is a demonstration of systemic failures in mental healthcare and social stigma, where it does not favor early treatment, thus often resulting in police interference, in trying to manage psychotic episodes when clinicians are suited and specialized in these tasks. As a result, the problem lies in society’s response to the issue, where punishment or institutionalization are prioritized rather than treatment, contributing to a greater misperception and stigmatization.
Therefore, we need mandatory early intervention programs, ease of access to crisis psychiatric services, medication supervision on a consistent basis, and overall support from the community in terms of doing away with stigma. Such changes are needed from society as a whole to shift from reactive mentality to a proactive, preventative mentality as we address this mental health issue head on.
Arson-related crimes are significantly influenced by mental health disorders, particularly Pyromania, unresolved traumas, and also severe emotional instability. The key contributing factors can be varied, but particularly, Pyromania, also known as impulse-control disorder, serves as a main trigger of these issues. In fact the other triggers, such as generational influences, desires for power and control, and the destructive release of emotional stress are known to drive individuals to set fires intentionally, which lays the groundwork for pathways to future acts of arson.
In a sense, society as a whole must prioritize stricter oversight, where parents need to shoulder the responsibility of effective parenting that properly disciplines their children’s destructive behavior. Currently, the social norms tend to be excessively lenient in what’s considered acceptable parenting, which leads to ineffective child rearing, thus contributing to the rise of individuals with psychological disorders. In this regard, it behooves us as a society to combine community oversight with early mental health support for children, which would enable us to effectively prevent the emergence of behaviors that contribute to arson-related crimes.
Theft is another common crime that is seen among the society of the current times in the society. We see opportunistic pickpocketing to compulsive stealing, which are driven by psychological factors, where it is different from person to person. While some perpetrators deliberately engage in theft voluntarily, others are affected by kleptomania, where one suffers from lack of impulse control and seeks emotional relief from depression and anxiety.
What this reflects are broader social issues: widening wealth disparity, inadequate access to mental healthcare, and mounting economic pressures. However, unlike the already widely known and commonly seen, many people simply cannot afford treatment, which is exacerbated by the stigma that seeking help is seen as weakness, which contributes to the cycle of compulsive behaviors that are left untreated.
Addressing theft requires going beyond punitive measures. What we need is therapy that’s accessible for impulse control disorders, social welfare programs that help alleviate financial difficulties, and robust community support systems. The main support that the people should be seeking is that government support for low-income families can address systemic issues that lead to poverty. Additionally, early programs targeting adolescents can reduce the likelihood of long-term criminal patterns. At the end of the day, addressing theft requires a social transformation. We need to dismantle the stigma associated with mental health treatment, provide equitable healthcare access, and foster financial stability to prevent crimes driven by desperation.
Preventing desperation-driven crime is particularly important in adolescence given that this period is prone to risky property offenses. Consider how the crimes that are under the section of property damage and vandalism are often seen in the emerging crimes that are caused by the youth that are in the age of adolescence. This developmental stage is characterized in another form of an expression of an emotional turbulence and the search for their identity. In fact, turbulence has been associated with impulse-control disorders, chronic stress, or ADHD.
Aside from clinical causes, one must take into account social dimensions: many youths engage in acts of vandalism as a result of society’s neglect and peer pressure. Such actions by youths–specifically are in adolescents and juvniles–can be observed as a result of both peer pressures and societal neglects. It is shown throughout these crimes that is caused by youths as an expression of emotional release, rebellion, or frustrations in these regards. When young individuals feel unseen, disconnected, or excluded from their communities, that pent-up tension is bound to manifest itself in harmful ways. Destructive impulses can reflect both a misguided and distorted need for acknowledgement from anyone. In this respect, the action of vandalism of a property is a destruction of both personal and societal issues in the lacking of the necessary factors that were needed to be provided, in order to grow in a healthy direction: such as: safe spaces, emotional guidance, and community support. As a results, these actions of both vandalism and destruction of properties caused by youth, displays the another topic of a broader issues that needed to be discussed, such as social inequality, lack of opportunities, and a lack of constructive, socially acceptable outlets for distress.
To tackle this issue, communities must respond not with mere punishment. Instead we should take more serious measures in areas of prevention and empathy. Youth mentoring initiatives, therapy programs intended to deal with impulse control, and safe recreational spaces can contribute to healthier pathways for self-expression. Furthermore, expanding school-based counseling services can foster emotional intelligence and resilience, thus helping adolescents channel their energy toward creativity and community engagement. With support and guidance, the energy that fuels destruction can become a force for productive action.
What also hinders productivity are substance-related crimes, which are frequently illustrative of mental illnesses and represent a substantial portion of arrests. These offenses can be attributed to addiction to alcohol and drugs, which is an indictment on society given how they have turned into normalized coping mechanisms for depression, anxiety, and trauma. The desire to engage in self-medication against environmental stress and societal pressures leads to substance abuse. What’s particularly problematic is how impaired judgment stemming from withdrawal often triggers criminal behavior. This pattern of behavior suggests the presence of profound societal struggles. What triggers this behavior? Economic inequality, financial pressure, and chronic stress converge as substances become survival mechanisms rather than choices predicated on rational thinking, leading to addiction epidemics. These crimes shed insight into society’s failure to offer key resources. Society must provide accessible rehabilitation, prevention programs, and community support. The problem lies in how society often criminalizes individuals struggling with addiction instead of treating it as a legitimate medical issue. This calls for a fundamental paradigm shift. Society must perceive substance-related crimes as evidence of a healthcare crisis. In this regard, it is imperative to fund rehabilitation centers, establish community-based support programs, ease economic burdens through policy reform, and build social safety nets. Compassionate and evidence-based measures are more needed to confront addiction’s underlying cause. Implementing such measures can aid in breaking the cycle that links substance abuse to the criminal justice system.
To further extend this understanding, it is necessary to look into other hidden yet destructive offenses that result from psychological distress. Among the most difficult crimes to detect are domestic disturbances. Commonly referred to as family violence, these acts have a major connection to mental health problems. Upon examining those problems, we gain insight into what triggers aggression and loss of control: emotional dysregulation, trauma-related disorders, and mood instability. What lies at the root are post-traumatic stress, emotional volatility coupled with lack of impulse control, and poor conflict-resolution skills. Such is how family violence lays bare deep social wounds. Intergenerational trauma, emotional instability, gender power imbalance, and dysfunctional family structures contribute to cycles of domestic violence, where deep, unresolved psychological pain is woven into the fabric. This points to the need for mental health education, early intervention, and resources for families under psychological and economic stress. Preventing such crimes entails more than punitive legal measures. What is truly required is a compassionate, trauma-informed approach. Such a framework helps us recognize the need for accessible therapy, anger-management resources, early intervention programs, crisis hotlines and shelters, and court-mandated counseling that centered on rehabilitation over punishment.
Among these varied offenses, assaults that are committed during psychotic episodes are among the most severe cases as they expose significant failures in mental health care. Assaults that are occurring during psychotic episodes stems from untreated severe mental illnesses.Consideration of psychosis that is diagnosed in the current days stated in characteristics of severe hallucinations, paranoia and delusions, rather than the common disorders around the society such as depression or anxiety, leads in a such psychosis that are medication non-compliance, lack of access to psychiatric care, and trauma-related conditions such as PTSD.
These crimes are demonstrative of societal failures: the stigmatization of mental illness and underfunding of mental health services. This often forces individuals into crisis points before receiving help. Police, rather than trained clinicians, are frequently tasked with managing psychiatric emergencies. Eventually, the critical systemic flaw is evident here as the police interference and not the interference of a specialized clinician, serves as a major demonstration of a systemic failure of a society in an organization structure. Along with these regards, it is also a representation that the policies are not suitable and that through forces are not the always the best direction in preventing crimes occurences, where it is emphasizing that the police interferences are not actually equipped in dealing such situations, yet ironically are forced to deal with these situations, in following their orders from upper sectors.
In order to minimize the occurrence of these crimes, society must prioritize access to early psychiatric intervention, establish crisis stabilization centers, and be able to deploy mobile mental health response teams in place of police in a timely fashion, thus ensuring long-term supervised medication compliance, and fostering community education that dismantles stigma. Such comprehensive changes are critical as we shift from a reactive approach to a proactive one. As a result, it is crucial that the society must adopt a preventive mental health care model and thus reduce violence arising from severe mental illnesses that are left untreated.
These crimes illustrate the fact that untreated mental illness, not intent to harm, often drives offenses, which exposes systemic failures in healthcare and early intervention. Meaningful changes demand treating these incidents as medical emergencies, which entails expanding access to psychiatric care, rehabilitation, and broader community support. Only through evidence-based interventions can the cycle between psychological distress and criminalization be broken.
By: Jio Yoon
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