A survey of the American public found that, while 68% of adults knew at least one person who had been hospitalized with a mental illness and 10% knew five or more people, only 9% had ever been threatened or physically harmed by such a person. People in close contact with the mentally ill, such as mental-health professionals and family members of people affected, are the least likely to believe that they are dangerous.
个人经验通常与精神病和暴力之间存在联系的观点不符。一份美国公众调查发现，68%的成年人至少认识一位曾就诊精神科的人，10%认识5个甚至更多，但只有9%曾受过这类人的威胁或人身伤害。与精神病患者密切接触的群体，比如精神健康专业人士和反常人士家属，最不相信他们有危险的说法。