Domestic Violence (cont.)

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Effective solutions for preventing intimate partner abuse include providing economic opportunity, mentors, role models who are survivors of domestic violence, organized community programs for youth and families and a school environment that promotes prevention of abusiveness in any relationship. Adult family members can help prevent domestic violence by being nurturing and by providing consistent, structured supervision. Raising the awareness about intimate partner violence in society at large, as occurs during Domestic Violence Awareness Month each October, can be invaluable to educating people about this issue.

According to the House of Ruth, a domestic violence center, everyone can help find ways to stop domestic violence, either by donating money or time to a domestic-violence organization, learning more about the problem, teaching children about healthy versus abusive relationships, listening in a nonjudgmental way to a domestic violence victim when he or she shares what they are going through, and giving victims information about where to get help. Supporters of intimate partner abuse victims can also discourage sexist jokes and remarks, boycott movies that gratuitously depict intimate partner violence and violence against women, and write legislators to support laws that protect and otherwise support intimate violence sufferers. Advocacy can further involve encouraging one's own health-care providers to post information about the issue. In the workplace, those who want to help stop to domestic abuse can organize a drive or fundraiser for goods or money to give to a domestic-violence organization.

American Domestic Violence Crisis Line
3300 N.W. 185th Street, Suite 133
Portland, OR 97229
Phone: 503-846-8748
Toll-free: 1-866-USWOMEN (International Crisis Line)
http://www.866uswomen.org
The American Domestic Violence Crisis Line provides safety planning, support services, and general information on domestic violence for American women living overseas who are victims of domestic violence.

Communities United Against Violence
160 14th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415-777-5500
Support Line: 415-333-HELP
http://www.cuav.org
Communities United Against Violence offers crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy and support for gay men and lesbians in abusive relationships.

Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project
1-800-832-1901
http://www.gmdvp.org

GLBT National Help Center
1-888-843-4564
http://www.glbtnationalhelpcenter.org

Maitri
234 East Gish Road #200
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408-436-8393
Toll-free hotline: 1-888-8-MAITRI
http://www.maitri.org
Maitri helps South Asian (Bengali, Indian, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan) women with domestic violence, emotional abuse, and family conflict.

National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
212-714-1184
http://www.ncapv.org

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE)
http://www.ndvh.org

The 24-hour, toll-free Hotline provides crisis intervention, referrals to battered women's shelters and programs, social-service agencies, legal programs, and other groups and organizations willing to help, and resources for battered women and their friends and families.

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
6400 Flank Drive, Suite 1300
Harrisburg, PA 17112
1-800-537-2238 ext. 5
TTY: 1-800-553-2508
Fax: 717-545-9456

The Network La Red
P.O. Box 6011
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-695-0877
Hotline: 617-423-7233
http://www.thenetworklared.org
The Network La Red offers bilingual (English and Spanish) information and resources for lesbian and bisexual women in violent relationships.

Reconstructive Surgery/Domestic Abuse Line
Toll-free: 1-800-842-4546
Reconstructive Surgery/Domestic Abuse Line provides free reconstructive surgery for male and female victims of domestic violence.

Violence Project
PMB 131
955 Mass Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: 617-354-6056
Toll-free Crisis Line: 1-800-832-1901
http://www.gmdvp.org
Violence Project offers information and resources for gay men in violent relationships.

Future

The future of finding solutions to domestic violence includes continuing to improve the effectiveness of treatment and to strengthen legal protection for victims, as well as accountability and treatment for abusers. Those goals should expand effective treatment and legal protections to address cyber-stalking and to manage the unique issues faced by individuals who are in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender relationships.

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/domestic_violence/article.htm