Domestic Violence Headlines for the Week of Dec. 8

World-First Trial Shows Men May Just Need an Antidepressant to Stop Committing Domestic Violence 

This week, results from a landmark study out of the University of New South Wales (NSW) and University of Newcastle revealed that a common antidepressant may have positive results in reducing violence committed by men. 

The trial screened 1,738 men in NSW, most of whom were recruited through community corrections offices and courts. They received either sertraline, a commonly prescribed antidepressant, or a placebo.

After a year, domestic violence reoffending was lower in the sertraline group (19.1 percent) compared to the placebo (24.8 percent). At two years, offending was lower in the sertraline group (28.2 percent) compared to the placebo group (35.7 percent).  With participants who took their medication more consistently, researchers saw a 30 percent decline in domestic violence reoffending at two years. 

Sertraline helps the brain use serotonin better — a chemical that affects mood and self-control. For men who struggle with extreme impulsiveness, this can help them slow down, think before acting and better manage their emotions. In theory, this could reduce violent outbursts.

While domestic violence cannot be blamed on mental illness, people who suffer from conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or panic disorder are more likely to be abusive toward an intimate partner. However, abuse is a choice partners make in order to fulfill a need for power and control—it’s more than mental illness. Treating mental illness won’t necessarily stop the cycle of power and control, warn advocates.

Source: The Conversation

Wisconsin Man Drives Drunk, Strangles Girlfriend, Shoots Cop, Hides in Middle School

A work holiday party turned violent Saturday night when a Wisconsin man chose to end the night by strangling his girlfriend and shooting a police officer. According to police in Superior, Wisc., Dylan Charles Edward Wallace, 28, was driving home from a bar with his girlfriend when the two began arguing. The car crashed into a snowbank. Wallace then strangled his girlfriend who was able to escape and ran to a nearby nursing home to call police. 

Wallace then went to his home and left again after securing a van and firearms. He’s quoted in court documents as telling police he “grabbed my guns and lost my sh*t, man.” When he was pulled over shortly after by police, he opened fire. Shooting the AK-47 he had with him, Wallace struck a female police officer in the arm. 

The man then took off and drove into a middle school building where he would later tell police he was looking to hide. He proceeded to shoot out overhead lights and a window. After being in the school for several hours, he says, “I f*cking woke up and, I’m like, what the f*ck, what the f*ck did I do?” He surrendered to law enforcement around 7 a.m.   

The officer who was shot was taken to the hospital and released. Wallace is being charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, strangulation or suffocation-domestic abuse, felony criminal damage to property and discharging a firearm in a school zone. His bond is set at $2 million. 

Abuse cannot be blamed on alcohol, though alcohol can certainly make already existing abuse worse. In cases like Wallace’s, strangulation may have been an escalation from the type of abuse he had already inflicted against his girlfriend. Strangulation is known to be the number one indicator of a future homicide by an intimate partner.  

While getting sober can reduce domestic violence, survivors should be wary of promises made by abusers that sobriety will make them a changed person. 

“If you allow yourself to be controlled by the belief or promise that he or she is going to change, you might be selling yourself short,” says Larry Bennett, PhD, licensed social worker and professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work in “Why We Can’t Blame Abuse on Alcohol.”

Source: KARE11.com

Too Many Women and Children in Texas are Homeless Due to Domestic Abuse 

In Bexar County, Texas, a high number of homeless women and children have one thing in common—they’re fleeing abuse. 

“Most of the women and children that come into the day center seeking some sort of safety is because they’re fleeing a domestic violence situation,” says Brittney Ackerson of Corazon Ministries Day Center in San Antonio.

“I see a lot of broken, a lot of the children and babies that come in, they won’t even look at you, they don’t want to talk. ... A 2-year-old will just sit there in a chair by itself and not do anything.I’m like, ‘You should be running around like a banshee, and you’re not.’”

Family Violence Prevention Services in Bexar County says that two-thirds of the domestic violence survivors they see are children. Ackerson says many leave with just the clothes on their backs and nothing more. 

“They have nothing. They don’t have birth certificates for their children. They rarely have their IDs. These poor babies barely even have clothing on sometimes,” Ackerson said.

It’s estimated that in at least 40 percent of homes where domestic violence is present, physical and other forms of child maltreatment are also taking place. Trauma in children can have lifelong negative health and social effects without early intervention by supportive and caring adults. To learn more, read “A Comprehensive Guide on Childhood Domestic Violence.” 

Source: KSAT.com

Man Throws Infant Son, Strangles Boy’s Mom … Because He Got Mad

In Susquehanna Township, Penn., on Monday, a man allegedly threw his six-month-old son before strangling the boy’s mother. Both victims are expected to recover. Police say the mother of the young boy could hear her son crying in the bedroom. When she went into the room, Ramesh Gurung, 30, the boy’s father, became upset. He grabbed his son by the neck, picked him up and threw him onto a mattress. He then grabbed the woman around the neck and strangled her while pinning her against a door frame. 

The woman was able to get away and call 911. Police say she had visible marks and redness on her neck. The child was treated and is in stable condition. 

Gurung is charged with endangering the welfare of children, strangulation and simple assault. His bail is set at $500,000. 

A common misconception is that abuse is caused by out-of-control tempers and that abusers who enroll in an anger management program can curb it, but experts disagree. Abuse is rooted in power and control. Abusers’ anger is a tactic of control aimed specifically at one person: their intimate partner. Despite stereotypes, abusers don’t fly off the handle—they’re often very much in control. Strangulation is a sign of escalation and a red flag that homicide is likely in the future. To learn more, read, “Does Anger Management Really Stop Domestic Violence?”

Source: WGAL.com