Patient or Threat?

“Nobody is really built for the streets”

Gang members is often seen as a threat to the society due to their actions in environments. Gang violence is a big thing in the UK especially in the capital of London. Young people with poor mental health are more at risk of being drawn into gangs.  This can potentially damage a young person’s mental health through being exposed to violence and trauma, among other things. We are going to be discussing whether gang members are patients that need help or just a threat to society?

Different reasons why people join gangs:

To feel accepted or a sense of belonging

For a sense of identity.

Because siblings, family members or partners are gang members.

For status amongst peers and others

“Hearing somebody take their last breath is a sound that never leaves you.”

Gang members constantly witness violence and trauma, makes them more susceptible to being diagnosed with PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder is caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.

The symptoms of post-traumatic stress could be:

Flashbacks

Nightmares

Angry outbursts

Insomnia

The word PTSD is mainly associated to people in the army or have been to war. This is because these people are constantly in combat which makes them more likely to being diagnosed with the disorder. Thankfully war veterans receive rehabilitation such as therapy and regular check-ups to help with trauma that they witness. Gang members experience similar situations.

Studies have found:

High levels of PTSD among young offenders, often linked to violent experiences, and that the more violence a young person is exposed to the greater their PTSD symptoms.

The first UK-based study of its kind, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, found 31% of young people had a traumatic experience during childhood.

One in four young people exposed to trauma met the criteria for PTSD.

Around 20% of people who experience trauma go to develop post traumatic stress disorder

I had the opportunity to interview an ex-gang member ‘Chubz’ from North London about his experience of being in a gang, and how it has affected him mentally. Interviewee identity must remain anonymous for the purpose of this interview.

“I started getting into gangs when I was 15,mainly influences was people from my area and growing up from where I grew up then that cant be good.  I had considered a group of people as family  and would partake in illegal activities with them. I’ve done a lot of things am not proud off, I’ve robbed people, been stabbed, watch friends die in front of me it’s a lot. Nobody is really built for the streets.” ‘Chubz’ quoted.

‘Chubz’ was involved in an altercation in 2012 when his friend was stabbed and killed in North London. I discussed this experience with him and he had quoted “…We got up after we got jumped next thing, I know one of my friends collapsed, he had holes in him from where he had been stabbed. Ambulance came we took him to the hospital he died on the way to the hospital. Its crazy like hearing somebody take their last breath is a sound that never leaves you.”

When asked about how he copes with this trauma he quoted “We all cope with things differently, sometimes I smoke some weed it makes me forget about my problems for time but it is not the best solution”

PTSD can also be seen as a gate-way for other for other problems such as depression, anxiety, drug misuse or alcohol misuse.

When asked about getting professional help ‘Chubz’ quoted that “…Yes, I do have flashbacks and nightmares up to this day. But I don’t want to be labelled as anything I am not crazy and I’ve seen people on medication and that’s not for me.”

Interviewing ‘Chubz’ helped gain an understanding of what it is like mentally for an ex-gang member.

One in four young people exposed to trauma met the criteria for PTSD.

“I don’t want to be labelled as a mental health patient I am not crazy”

The government is trying to tackle problems that occur in areas where there is gang violence. There was a scheme, set up by two doctors/ therapist in Camden, who meets gang members to talk to them.

Dr Grove (one of the therapist) said “the project has had a number of success stories including a 19-year-old who came to the project in March 2017 after leaving prison.”

“He was very suspicious of us but he began attending sessions regularly… he was quite aggressive and it took us time to figure out where this aggression was coming from,” Dr Grove said.

Eventually the young man began to speak to a project worker who engaged with him at every session.”

Projects like this make an impact today and should not just be in Camden but across the UK. Tackling gang members mental health is an opportunity of decreasing gang violence.