Mental Illness?

Question

Why does it seem like there's more mental illness in certain regions of the country, and specifically in rural areas? Do you feel there's any truth to this? Is there a connection between the two?Take for example the state of Wisconsin. Home to two of the worlds most recognizable mentally insane serial killers - Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein. In Ed's case, alot of his behavior can be attributed to his upbringing, right? Although, he was said to have been slightly mentally disabled from birth, I believe. Do you think being from that area (or an area such as this) had anything to do with their actions?

Please share your thoughts. :)

I guess I'm wondering if the isolation that can be stereotypically associated with living in rural areas can have any kind of contributing impact on these individuals.

VERY good points, Barbiq. Yes, it's true. Typically most serial killers are white males, along with the school shootings. But that's another discussion within itself! LOL.

Answer 1

Jeffery Dahmer was raised in Ohio in a area not far from the cities of Cleveland and Akron...not rural at all. I really don't think having mental illness has anything to do with where you live, although it may make it better or worse depending on the level of care you have available to you.

Have you noticed that almost all serial killers are white males? have you noticed that almost all the school shootings are done by white males? Could there be more correlation with that? things to think about....

Answer 2

Much of what makes us us is our environment. For humans, environment is usually more a social environment than physical one, we've made it abundantly obvious that people can make a home for themselves almost anywhere.

Consider that we have a population of roughly 300 million and are stretching to making generalizations over maybe a few dozen people we call serial killers, of which only a very few come to mind. Big cities are full of serial murderers, but we use different labels because of the nature of the purpose behind their crime--stereotypically drug dealers as an example. The fascinating thing about serial killers, though, is that their problem is not one of "mere" antisocial and amoral behavior, but the serial killer has a mental issue that drives them purposely.

Fairly, we popularize these people on our entertainment and that distorts the real. The state of Montana did not make the Unibomber, the physical environment was one of convenient choice after the strangeness had set in, whatever the factors. There were a couple of different characters who got caught in Florida and had killed indiscriminantly in travels across the country, it would be hard to pin down a physical environmental cause for cases such as that.

Answer 3

I don't think so. Dahmer grew up in Ohio and moved to Wisconsin later. I think most of it is from mental conditions combined with their upbringing. I think most serial killers have been from Washington state.

Answer 4

I think you may be right about MI having something to do with being/feeling isolated-alone/lonely,no one to truthfully dicuss ideas with and therefore, dispel/ease serious worries with.

Answer 5

People are a direct reaction to their own expierences. No matter where they were born, just a coincidence.