Guns, Impulsive Angry Behavior, and Mental Disorders: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R).
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Analyses from the National Comorbidity Study Replication provide the first nationally representative estimates of the co-occurrence of impulsive angry behavior and possessing or carrying a gun among adults with and without certain mental disorders and demographic characteristics. The study found that a large number of individuals in the United States self-report patterns of impulsive angry behavior and also possess firearms at home (8.9%) or carry guns outside the home (1.5%). These data document associations of numerous common mental disorders and combinations of angry behavior with gun access. Because only a small proportion of persons with this risky combination have ever been involuntarily hospitalized for a mental health problem, most will not be subject to existing mental health-related legal restrictions on firearms resulting from a history of involuntary commitment. Excluding a large proportion of the general population from gun possession is also not likely to be feasible. Behavioral risk-based approaches to firearms restriction, such as expanding the definition of gun-prohibited persons to include those with violent misdemeanor convictions and multiple DUI convictions, could be a more effective public health policy to prevent gun violence in the population.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Swanson, JW; Sampson, NA; Petukhova, MV; Zaslavsky, AM; Appelbaum, PS; Swartz, MS; Kessler, RC
Published Date
- June 2015
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 33 / 2-3
Start / End Page
- 199 - 212
PubMed ID
- 25850688
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC5116908
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1099-0798
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1002/bsl.2172
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States