The tragic irony of these cases is that the stigma they associate with mental illness actually contributes to the disorders themselves by deterring the sick from seeking treatment and creating fear in others that adds to their isolation and depression.
That article is weird. People with mental health problems are far more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators of violence. It says "Acute psychosis is linked with an increased risk of violence, which is at least doubled in schizophrenia compared to that seen in normal people " - well, use of the word "normal" there is pretty offensive, and there's no indication of the actual risk. If 1 in 10,000 "normal" people are at risk of violence then doubling that takes us to 2 in 10,000 people with psychotic illness at risk of violence. Pretty good odds. What the US needs is much better medical treatment for people with mental health problems. This means early intervention; crisis and home treatment teams; teams for seldom heard and hard to engage people; etc. These are expensive. But dealing with the fallout of non-productive mad people is a lot more expensive.
It never occurred to me that this distinction would even have to be pointed out. I guess my exposure to persons with autism has me assuming things I shouldn't. Edit: And I really like the statement, "stigmatizing, bullying, rejecting, and isolating people who are different exacerbates every mental illness and developmental disability ever studied.". This point really needs to be driven home.