Domestic Violence Is an International Public Health Problem

Domestic violence is an international public health problem. It’s a type of abuse.

This abuse comprises of financial, emotional, physical, psychological, sexual, and overly coercive or controlling behavior.

Domestic Violence is Linked to Mental Disorders

People don’t often report domestic violence, so it’s difficult to know how common this abuse is.

It happens to people of all ages, incomes, and education.  It involves injuring a spouse, partner, child, parent, or other family members. Victims suffer from depression, anxiety, or social isolation.

Recent reports suggest that victims are common among people with mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, eating, obsessive compulsive, personality, bipolar, and post-traumatic stress disorders.

Women with these disorders are more likely to become victims of domestic violence. For instance, women who show signs and symptoms of depression are 2.5 times likely to experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

Additionally, women with anxiety disorders are 3.5 times more likely to report abuse.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

“Nearly 3 in 10 women (29 Percent) and 1 in 10 men (10 percent) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by a partner and reported it having a related impact on their functioning.”

Plan for Safety

It is important that you have a safety plan of action if you’re in an abusive relationship.  There are advocates to help you create a safety plan.

Advocates will do the following for a victim:

• Discuss how to deal with emergencies
• Provide support
• Suggest services
• Find ways to leave an abuser
• Suggest safe places to go, like a home of a friend or family member where your abuser might not know to look, or where you can find a shelter
• Assist you in learning about a court order protection, which demands that your abuser is to stay away from you

You can get help at the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

Preview the following informative video from “Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America“

Keep in mind, just because a woman leaves an abuser doesn’t necessarily mean she is safe.

Contrarily, sometimes they’re in greater danger right after they leave.

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