Abused adults
pp. 55-70
in: William E. Fann, Robert H. Williams, Robert R. Williams, Robert C. Williams, Comstock (eds), Phenomenology and treatment of psychiatric emergencies, Berlin, Springer, 1984Abstract
Every 30 seconds a violent crime is committed. The FBI reports for 1973 indicated that there were 828,150 homicides, rapes, robberies, or aggravated assaults [1]. It is estimated that there were 2,000,000 episodes of domestic violence annually [2]. In 1972, 31% of murders were of spouses or lovers [3]. The victims who survive these attacks, as well as the hundreds of thousands who do not report the crimes committed against them, constitute the population which may present to emergency departments with obvious or covert psychiatric problems. In addition to the direct victims of rape, assault, and domestic violence, there is another population who are also victims of violence. This includes the families of victims of rape, assault, and homicide, the children of domestic violence victims, and the perpetrators of these violent crimes.