Stigma against mental illness turns the world on its head. Blaming the victim rationalizes neglect and maltreatment. In the public mind, violence is associated with mental illness. Yes, there is a strong association, but the direction of causality is the reverse of common belief: persons who are seriously mentally ill are far more likely to be the victims of violence than its initiators. The evidence produced by Linda Teplin et al¹ (this issue) settles the matter beyond question.

They have demonstrated a rate of victimization by crime among adults who are severely mentally ill that is an order of magnitude higher than the rate among the general population. Their data are reported from the first large-scale epidemiological study of the prevalence, incidence, and patterns of victimization among patients who are mentally ill. The investigators used the National Crime Victimization Survey, the same instrument used to gather Bureau of Justice statistics. Thus, the rates they obtained are comparable with those derived from the general population. What did they find?