All About Bipolar

Posted By atorturedsoul on October 5, 2009

Domestic Violence and Mental Illness

Domestic violence is a very serious issue. Each year, more than 1 million women seek medical attention for injuries resulting from domestic violence. If you are a woman suffering from a mental illness, it increases your vulnerability to abuse.

Today, I will be discussing domestic violence and abuse and its affect on women with mental illness, how it impacts children of abuse victims and abusers, abuse during pregnancy and a link between domestic violence and self-harm and suicide.

Oprah warned Rihanna, “If a man hits you once, he will hit you again.” An abusive incident rarely occurs only once; abuse usually increases in frequency and severity over time. Many victims of abuse defend their abuser’s behavior and insist that it was a one time thing that won’t happen again. This simply isn’t true. Have you heard the old expression, “Once a cheater, always a cheater?” The same is true for abusers. Chronic abusers display a typical pattern following physical abuse episodes. They tend to be apologetic, on their best behavior, promising that it will never happen again. This is usually exactly the behavior the victim has hoped for and often causes her to decide to remain in the relationship.

Lenore Walker presented the model of a Cycle of violence which consists of three basic phases:

Honeymoon Phase

Characterized by affection, apology, and apparent end of violence. During this stage the batterer feels overwhelming feelings of remorse and sadness. Some batterers walk away from the situation, while others shower their victims with love and affection.

Tension Building Phase

Characterized by poor communication, tension, fear of causing outbursts. During this stage the victims try to calm the batterer down, to avoid any major violent confrontations.

Acting-out Phase

Characterized by outbursts of violent, abusive incidents. During this stage the batterer attempts to dominate his/her partner(victim), with the use of domestic violence.

Source: Domestic Violence

The National Crime Victimization Survey found that in 1998 (Rennison & Welchans, 2000):

• Approximately 875,000 women experienced a violent crime, excluding murder, committed by an intimate partner.
• 1,320 women were killed by a partner.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting System (Paulozzi et al, 2001):

• An estimated 28,991 women were killed by a current or former partner during the period of 1981-1998.

Partner abuse is a significant risk factor for suicidality as well (Plichta & Weisman, 1995; Stark, Flitcraft, & Frazier, 1979)

Domestic Violence and Mental Illness

Abuse and violent experiences are especially high in women suffering from mental illness.

• Out of 39 adult female clients in an intensive psychiatric case management program, 59% had been sexually abused and 62% had been physically abused as children and/or adults (Rose, Peabody, & Stratigeas, 1991).

• In a sample of 123 female patients on a psychiatric inpatient unit, 53% had a lifetime history of abuse (Carmen et al 1984).

• Although not explicitly identifying the perpetrator, another study found that of the 64% of female inpatients who had been physically assaulted as adults, 56% shared a home with the perpetrator (Jacobson and Richardson 1987).

• In one study with 66 female psychiatric inpatients, 44% had experienced physical assault as an adult (Bryer et al 1987). Of those, 59% had been assaulted by an intimate partner.

• Out of 93 women seen in a psychiatric emergency room, approximately half had been physically and/or sexually abused as children, 42% had been abused by a partner in adulthood, and 37% had experienced an attempted or completed rape (Briere et al, 1997).

• In a study of 69 inpatients (male and female) who had ongoing relationships with partners or family members, 63% reported a history of physical victimization by a partner and 46% reported physical abuse by a family member (Cascardi et al., 1996). Twenty-nine percent had experienced domestic abuse within the past year.

Source: Domestic Violence, Mental Health and Trauma Research Highlights

Suicide and Self Harm in Victims of Abuse

How does domestic abuse impact the victim?

Patients suffering domestic assault are more likely to present with self harm. There was a moderate correlation between the number of episodes of self harm and number of assaults.

Our results suggest that domestic assault patients should be asked about suicidal ideation and depression.

Source: Association between domestic violence and self harm

Pregnancy and Domestic Violence

Did you know that an abuser typically becomes more violent when their partner is pregnant or soon after she gives birth?

More shocking to observers than the other characteristics is the observation that the batterer is more violent when the partner is pregnant or soon after the birth of their child.

Men who batter seem to want to impregnate, yet not necessarily to father or nurture their offspring.

A recurring theme is, “If you would have my baby, or one more baby, then our problems would abate.” Yet, wife-beating has been called the “poor man’s abortion”. Women have had miscarriages or stillbirths after savage attacks by their mates.

Source: Profile of Men Who Batter

Of every 1,000 pregnant women, 154 are assaulted by their partner during the first four months of pregnancy.

During the 5th through the 9th month, 170 out of 1,000 pregnant women are assaulted.

Physical abuse during pregnancy may result in a number of problems:

• fetal fractures
• rupture of the uterus, liver or spleen
• miscarriage

Source: Domestic Violence Facts

Children Who Witness Domestic Violence

How are children impacted by domestic violence?

40 to 60% of abusers will also abuse their children.

Source: American Psychology Association. Violence and the Family: Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family. 1996

Girls whose fathers batter their mothers are 6.5 times more likely to be sexually abused by their fathers than are girls from non-violent homes.

Source: Bowker LH, Arbitell M, Mcferron JR (1988). “On the Relationship Between Wife Beating and Child Abuse”. in Bograd ML, Yllö K. Feminist perspectives on wife abuse. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

• Children from violent homes have higher risks of drug/alcohol abuse and juvenile delinquency.
• Approximately 90% of children are aware of the violence directed at their mother.
• Children in homes where domestic violence occurs may experience cognitive or language problems, developmental delay, stress-related physical ailments and hearing and speech problems.
• Boys who witness domestic violence are more likely to batter their female partners as adults than boys raised in nonviolent homes.
• Children in homes where domestic violence occurs are physically abused or seriously neglected at a rate 1500% higher than the national average in the general population.

Source: Effects of Domestic Violence on Children

How are children affected by domestic violence?

• They exhibit “failure to thrive” symptoms even as infants.
• They may exhibit “general aggressiveness” or violence to siblings or the “victim parent” in ways that emulate the abusive parent.
• They may exhibit a pattern of “over-compliance” and fearfulness.
• They often suffer from low self-esteem.
• They often suffer poor health.
• They may have poor impulse control.
• They often experience academic problems.
• They live frequently “disrupted lives” when the victim is forced to flee the home.
• They are sometimes injured during violent incidents in the home or the family vehicle.
• They are more often abducted by the abuser parent than other children.
• They may have a fear and distrust of close relationships.
• They experience psychosomatic complaints, i.e., stomachaches, headaches, stuttering, anxiety, fear, etc.
• They experience “night terrors” (waking up screaming in the night).
• They kill themselves more often than children who do not live with abuse.
• They are likely to repeat learned behaviors.
• They are more likely to be victim of child physical and sexual abuse, most often by the abuser parent and less often by the victim.
• They are four times as likely to be arrested eventually.
• They are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.
• They are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior.
• They are more likely to commit crime against other persons and sexual assaults.

Source: Domestic Violence Facts

If you are pregnant or have children and are a victim of domestic violence, your children will suffer the effects and the resulting impact will last a lifetime. Staying with an abuser “for the sake of the children” simply doesn’t make sense.

If you are a victim of domestic violence and need assistance, call the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit http://www.ndvh.org/.

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Categories: About Bipolar Disorder, Agoraphobia, Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, Cyclothymia, My Personal Experiences, NOS, Panic Disorder, Psychosis
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