Psychiatric body warns against stigmatizing mentally ill after Toronto shooting
TORONTO — The man responsible for a deadly shooting in the heart of Toronto’s Greektown may have struggled with mental illness, but the body representing the country’s psychiatrists cautioned that tying his psychiatric history with his recent actions risks stigmatizing those contending with similar issues.
Faisal Hussain killed two people and injured 13 when he unleashed a hail of bullets along the city’s Danforth Avenue on Sunday night. The attack ended after he exchanged fire with two officers and was found dead nearby. Hussain’s parents have since outlined their son’s battle with depression and psychosis.
The Canadian Psychiatric Association warned Thursday that making Hussain’s mental state a focal point of discussions around the shooting misrepresents the majority of people grappling with similar circumstances and risks deepening the stigma they already face.
“The perception that mental illness carries with it a potential for violence has been proven wrong in many studies,” association president Dr. Nachiketa Sinha said in a statement. “The best risk factor for future violence is previous violence – whether one is mentally ill or not.”