Discusses mental illness's contribution to violence. As increasing numbers of mentally ill patients have been treated and reside in the community, public concern about their potential for violence has increased. Fear and stigma of mentally ill people have been exaggerated by high profile and occasionally sensationalist reporting of rare, albeit tragic, violent acts. In mental health assessment it is appropriate to estimate the risk of violence to others as one of many dimensions of a comprehensive assessment. But it is inappropriate that mental health policy and legislation should be driven by preoccupation with risk of violence, rather than the delivery of effective treatments in the community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)