Social Stigma and Mental Illness Each time an individual is identified as having a mental illness, they are seen in a different light. In most cases, mental illnesses have a negative connotation. This is due to the incorrect link between violence and mental illness. Society's negative view of mental illnesses creates many inconveniences in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. This is why society must abandon the negative perspective of mental illnesses. There is a wide variety of disorders and levels in the study of mental health. There is no defined line between being totally normal and being mentally ill. Mental health is usually characterized by “an individual's ability to maintain mental and emotional balance in times of crisis or stress” (Mental Health and Illness). That said, it is critically important to diagnose mental illnesses early and effectively treat such disorders. The mental disorder most linked to violence is schizophrenia. Many mass murders of school shootings and movie theaters have shown some sign of schizophrenia. More specifically James Holmes who shot 12 people in a movie theater in California. In the article written by Szalavitz, it was recorded that Holmes was seeing a psychiatrist who specialized in schizophrenia (Szalavitz). Schizophrenia developed in adolescence and causes extreme delusions and paranoia. It becomes more and more severe and is eventually out of control for the individual. It creates a completely different reality for the individual (mental health and illness). Although schizophrenia is considered a serious psychotic disorder, studies show that "most people with schizophrenia (about 1% of the population...... middle of paper ......ws. Psychiatry Online, December 16, 2011. Web. April 30, 2014. Friedman, Richard A. “In Gun Debate, Wrong Focus on Mental Illness.” The New York Times, December 17, 2012. Web. April 28, 2014. Rovner, Julie and Audie Cornish. “White House Releases Long-Awaited Mental Health Rules.” Web April 23, 2014Szalavitz, Maia “Mass Murder and Mental Illness: The Interplay of Stigma, Culture, and Illness.” , July 31, 2012. Web. April 30, 2014Shah, Nirvi. “School Safety, Advanced Mental Health Measures.” Education Week April 17, 2013: 19. Opposing Views in Context. Web April 23, 2014. Stuart, Heather “Media Representation of mental illness and its treatments". Drugs 20.2 (2006): 99-106 Web. 28 April 2014. Verma, Aditi. “Gun Control and Mental Illness.” Penn Bioethics Journal 8.2 (2012): 6-7. ProQuest. Network. April 23. 2014.