Alternatives to Domestic Violence

Building lives free from violence

Mental Health
  • Crime victims have a much higher lifetime incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
  • Almost 27% of women and 12% of men who were molested developed PTSD later in life.
  • Women who experienced a homicide of a family member or close friend had higher levels of PTSD than non-homicide survivors; 22% experienced lifetime PTSD and 8.9% currently had PTSD.
  • Of crime victims diagnosed with PTSD, 37% also suffer from depression.
  • The most comprehensive co-morbidity study to date showed that lifetime prevalence of other psychological disorders in male and female crime victims with PTSD was 88.3% and 79%, respectively. The most common co-morbid disorders were depression, substance abuse and phobia.
  • The estimated risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder is 49% for survivors of rape, 32% for survivors of severe beating or physical assault, 24% for survivors of other sexual assault, 5% for survivors of a shooting or stabbing and 7% for those who witness a murder or an assault.
  • Major depressive disorder affects an estimated one-third of all rape victims, often for an extended period of time. One-Third of women who are raped contemplate suicide and 17 percents attempt suicide.
  • Intimate partner victimization against American women ages 18 and older results in more than 18.5 million mental healthcare visits each year.
  • Physical and mental health effects of stalking are not gender-related. Both male and female victims experience impaired health, depression and injury and are more likely to engage in substance abuse than their non-stalked peers.
  • About one-third (30%) of female stalking victims and one-fifth (20%) male stalking victims sought psychological counseling as a result of their stalking victimization.
  • Roughly one-third of mental healthcare bills for rape, physical assault and stalking victims were paid for out-of-pocket.