Cause or effect: are you looking at me?
According to researchers from Queen Mary University of London, young men who are gang members are more likely to suffer from mental disorders and seek psychiatric help than those who aren't. The study leader, and director of the forensic psychiatry research unit at Queen Mary, Prof. Jeremy Coid, concludes:
"It is probable that, among gang members, high levels of anxiety disorder and psychosis were explained by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the most frequent psychiatric outcome of exposure to violence." He said the fear of future violence and victimisation led young men to experience extreme anxiety. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, said: "Readiness to retaliate violently if disrespected, excitement from violence, and short-term benefits from instrumental violence lead to further cycles of violence and risk of violent victimisation."
Or perhaps the reason that they join gangs in the first place is just because they're all fuckin' meatheads. Innit, Jez?