It's probably not an either or thing.
You probably have some people who get mental illness from joining gangs and you probably get people that had existing mental illnesses going in, and then more likely imo you may have a combination of both.
I don't know which is more prevalent compared to the other.
I think, being a specialist on this subject, as I listen to This American Life Podcast regularly, that a) in many neighborhoods joining a gang is not a choice, but a fact of being born on that street and b) that for most current gang members their life before becoming an active gang member is generally not one of a sheltered suburban neighborhood, rather they have alway been closely affected by gang and police violence, and probably suffer specifically from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder already, before actively joining up.
Originally posted by Newjak
It's probably not an either or thing.You probably have some people who get mental illness from joining gangs and you probably get people that had existing mental illnesses going in, and then more likely imo you may have a combination of both.
I don't know which is more prevalent compared to the other.
But I don't think someone would ever join a gang because they're mentally ill. That's more a choice.