In a stunning display of stating the obvious, the head of mental health charity Mind has admitted that the sector has been sweeping a rather awkward fact under the rug: some people with severe mental illness can be violent. Dr Sarah Hughes, who has spent four decades in the field, told the Guardian that charities have failed to acknowledge this risk because they're terrified of fueling stigma. You know, the usual fear of making things worse by telling the truth.

This revelation comes as the inquiry into the Nottingham attacks wraps up, examining the events leading to June 13, 2023, when students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates were fatally stabbed by Valdo Calocane, who was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Calocane, who had a history of violent incidents and refused medication, was sectioned four times in two years, and his mother described the mental health system as 'so broken.' He received an indefinite hospital order in 2024 after admitting manslaughter.

Hughes, who has personally experienced violence from someone with psychosis, says the sector's fear of stigma has led to a collective 'softening of the truth.' She argues that while the vast majority of people with mental illness aren't violent, some are, and the consequences can be deadly. Her comments follow a Mind roundtable in Westminster, where experts discussed how to balance public safety with patient rights.

Emma Webber, whose son Barnaby was killed, welcomed Hughes's statement, saying the risk of violence has been 'deliberately quietened down.' She believes if the risks in Calocane's case had been understood, the tragedy might have been prevented. Professor Seena Fazel, a forensic psychiatrist from Oxford, supports this, noting that while people with schizophrenia have an elevated risk of violence, the absolute risk is small, and factors like substance abuse or prior violence increase it. The good news? Widely available treatments can reduce that risk.

Mind is now set to introduce a strategy calling for better support for severe mental illness, including more hospital beds and assertive outreach. Hughes insists that patient and public safety aren't mutually exclusive. Because, apparently, we need a charity to tell us that keeping people safe and caring for the mentally ill can coexist. Who knew?