Icreased Crime Rates Due to Mental Disorders

In recent years, mental health disorders have become widely recognized in the criminal justice system. It is no longer a taboo topic and has in fact been taken into consideration by most judges. According to the WHO (n.d., para. 3), more than one billion people are coping with mental health disorders. A study has shown that depressive symptoms grew by 28% whereas anxiety disorders grew by 25% ever since the pandemic, (Duszynski-Goodman, 2024). Ever since 2014, the number of violent crimes had begun to rise and has continued to do so during the pandemic, (Is Violent Crime Increasing? | Department of Criminology, n.d.). Based on the information provided, it’s easy to assume that mental health disorders directly affect the number of crimes committed. However, this assumption may be far from the truth. This report aims to debunk this belief.