Once again we find ourselves reading (or hearing) about who is to blame for the most recent mass shooting events. It has become the common response to direct our fears and sorrows onto something or someone rather than taking on these raw emotions directly. But I have yet to see the assignment of blame result in anything positive. Instead, I see people becoming more angered by the thing or person(s) that are being blamed. And worse, those trying to manage their mental illness get further marginalized.

The most recent events in Dayton and El Paso have led to the shooters being called “mentally ill monsters.” Imagine how that description is heard by someone attempting to manage their depression, or by a family who has just learned that their 19 year old son has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Are these people really monsters? Of course not, but the cavalier comments of political leaders and media outlets do shape the thoughts and beliefs of those listening.

The stigma associated with mental illness already presents obstacles to treatment. The stigma around having a mental illness is so powerful that a friend of mine openly discussed his struggles with alcohol, but could not accept his underlying depressive disorder. The continued focus on mental illness as a cause of mass shootings is only perpetuating and amplifying the stigma. For perspective, the overwhelming majority of people with a mental illness are more likely to be victims of violent crime rather than to be the perpetrators. It is also true that the majority of recent mass shootings have been carried out by an individual with a mental illness. However, there is a significant qualitative difference between an individual that becomes agitated and fixated on a particular theme who then acts on those feelings, compared to a person with a major depressive illness or bipolar disorder.

The simplistic blaming of mental illness for mass shootings further marginalizes those with a mental illness and promotes fear of mental illness within our communities. It distracts us from developing public policies that are most likely to reduce the risk of another mass shooting. It hurts those seeking treatment to improve their mental health. Given the fact that one in five of us have a diagnosable mental illness at any given time it is difficult to draw a causal link between mass shootings and mental illness. That is not to say that perceptual distortions in the minds of those pulling the trigger do not exist. But the perceptual distortions they are experiencing are qualitatively different from the mental distress experienced by the 20% of the general population having a mental health challenge at any given time.

Please, join me in reshaping the discussion around these atrocious violent acts away from the simplicity of assigning blame. Instead, let’s focus on developing public policies that will help reduce both gun violence and the stigma around mental illness.

Christopher D. Kozak is Chief Operating Officer, Community Partners, Rochester.