One study of American newspaper reports found that 39% of reports concerning mental illness were focused on violence or danger. In Germany, extensive reports on violent attacks against prominent politicians by two people suffering from schizophrenia in 1990 bolstered the German public’s belief that mentally ill people are dangerous.
引起这一经验和感知之间的矛盾的罪魁是媒体。媒体频繁地将精神病与暴力行为联系起来。一份对美国报纸报道的研究发现，39%的精神病报道的中心点是暴力和危险。在德国，1990年关于两名精神分裂症患者暴力袭击著名政客的详细报道导致德国公众认为精神病患者是危险的。