Age Specific Considerations in Patient Care Related

Review Age Specific Considerations in Patient Care related questions and content

A person diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) living in the community was punched, pushed to the ground, and robbed of 7 during the day on a public street. Which statements about violence and serious mental illness in general are accurate? Select one tha does not apply.

  • A. Persons with SMI are more likely to be violent
  • B. SMI persons experience higher rates of sexual assault and victimization than others
  • C. Impaired judgment and social skills can provoke hostile or assaultive behavior
  • D. Lower incomes force SMI persons to live in high-crime areas, increasing risk
Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Mentally ill persons are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators of criminal acts. They are often victims of criminal behavior, including sexual crimes, at a higher rate than others. When a mentally ill person commits a crime, it is usually nonviolent. Mental illnesses interfere with employment and are associated with poverty, limiting SMI persons to living in inexpensive areas that also tend to be higher-crime areas. SMI persons may inadvertently provoke others because of poor judgment or socially inappropriate behavior, or they may be victimized because they are perceived as passive, less likely to resist, and less likely to be believed as witnesses.