Alcohol Linked to Violence

If you close to a liquor store, you have a pretty good chance of being assaulted. So says Canadian researchers.

The researchers identified 3,212 people over the age of 13 who had been hospitalized, because of a serious assault, over a 32-month period. They then looked at the amount of alcohol sold at the liquor store nearest to the victims’ homes the day before the assault, as well as a control period a week before the assault occurred.

Researchers found that for every doubling in alcohol sales, the overall risk of being hospitalized for assault increased by 13 percent — and the risk of assault was 41 percent higher at peak alcohol sale times than when sales were lowest.

A total of 1,150 assaults — 36 percent of all assaults — involved the use of a sharp or blunt weapon, and 1,532 — 48 percent of all assaults — rose during an unarmed brawl or fight.

Female domestic violence goes undetected

A new study suggests that domestic violence is very common among female psychiatric patients.  The Royal College of Psychiatrists studied 71 women who were under the care of a community mental health team.  The study found that 60% of the women had suffered from physical violence.  The alarming statistic is that 82% of the women found domestic violence acceptable.

Based on these findings, a higher than average
prevalence of domestic violence among psychiatric patients could be
expected. This is the first British study to examine the situation
among women attending psychiatric services. 

Teen violence

Teens who use drugs are twice as likely to engage in violent behavior. The National Drug Contol Policy also stated that about one-third of public high school (37%) and middle school principals (31%) report gang activity in their schools. By age 17, one-in-twelve teens (8%) report ever belonging to a gang. The report also states the following:

– Teens who use drugs, particularly marijuana, are more likely to steal
and experiment with other drugs and alcohol, compared to teens who
don’t; — One in four teens (27%) who used illicit drugs in the past year report attacking others with the intent to harm;

— Nearly one in six teens (17%) who got into serious fights at school or
work in the past year report using drugs;

— Teens who use marijuana regularly are nine times more likely than teens who don’t to experiment with other illicit drugs or alcohol, and five times more likely to steal; and

— Teens who do abstain from drug use, particularly marijuana use,
function better than users during the transition to young adulthood.

College mental health services

In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, federal officials convened to assess mental health on college campuses. In a report issued on Wednesday, the commission called for better communication between educators and mental-health workers, better training for campus police and more help for mentally ill students.

One reason that mental illness appears to be more common on campuses now is that improvements in the treatment of mental illness allow more students to go to college.

$70 billion towards violence

Violence costs the United States $70 billion dollars annually.  Violent crime makes up a majority of this cost.  Researchers found that young males were most likely to be violent.  Follow the link below to read the press release from the University of Georgia.

• Most of the $70 billion in costs associated with violence were from lost productivity ($64.4 billion), with the remaining $5.6 billion spent on medical care.
• Americans suffer 2.2 million medically treated injuries due to interpersonal violence annually, at a cost of $37 billion ($33 billion in productivity losses, $4 billion in medical treatment).
• The cost of self-inflicted injuries (suicide and attempted suicide) is $33 billion annually ($32 billion in productivity losses, $1 billion in medical costs).
• People aged 15 to 44 years comprise 44 percent of the population, but account for nearly 75 percent of injuries and 83 percent of costs due to interpersonal violence.
• The nearly 17,000 annual homicides result in $22.1 billion in costs. The average cost per homicide was $1.3 million in lost productivity and $4,906 in medical costs.
• The average cost per case for a non-fatal assault was $57,209 in lost productivity and $23,353 in medical costs.
• The average cost per case of suicide is $1 million in lost productivity and $2,596 in medical costs. The average cost for a non-fatal self inflicted injury was $9,726 in lost productivity and $7,234 in medical costs.

Intimate partner violence effected by where you live

The journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has published research in regards to intimate partner violence. Medical news Today reports that partner violence has many contributing pieces, these include:

1. Heavy drinking has consistently been linked to an increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV).
2. New findings indicate that drinking patterns as well as neighborhood characteristics can influence IPV.
3. While specific effects differ by gender; women who are the heaviest drinkers are at elevated risk for mutual IPV despite the context of their neighborhood.

Follow this article at Medical News Today.

“Social disorganization theory, along with other macro-sociological theories, incorporate the larger environmental context of people’s interactions within their neighborhood context into explanations of the conditions under which problem behaviors such as IPV may grow and thrive,” explained Cunradi. “IPV, like child abuse, typically is a ‘private’ event that occurs in the home; social disorganization theory suggests that it is essential to consider the neighborhood conditions in which the home is located.”

Murder, Stabbings and Shootings; but who won American idol?

I live in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. I have lived here all my life. While I was reading the following article, I thought maybe I live in Lebanon or Baghdad. What follows all took place in one night, May 22, 2007 in Baltimore City. The article can be found at WBALTV.com

Police said the violence started late Tuesday afternoon with a double shooting on East Fayette Street. They said one man was killed and another was injured by gunfire.

Police said a 6-year-old boy was shot in the ankle along Pennsylvania Avenue in west Baltimore. He was taken to Hopkins Pediatric and is expected to be treated and released later Wednesday.

In east Baltimore, a man was killed when he was shot in the head around 7:15 p.m. on East 21st Street.Investigators said a woman was shot in the stomach on Roland View Avenue. She was taken to Sinai Hospital and is expected to recover.In addition, four shooting victims were found along Mount Royal Avenue in two separate areas.

Police said two men were discovered at Guilford Avenue and Mount Royal Avenue — one with gunshot wounds to the hip and the other is in critical condition with a gunshot wounds to the groin and head.Police also found two more victims at Mount Royal Avenue and St. Paul Street. One man was shot in the back and the other was shot in the thigh. Both men were taken to Shock Trauma.Police also reported a man was shot in the wrist and arm in the 300 block of Eutaw Street around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers said three people were stabbed in the 600 block of Water Street around 2 a.m. Wednesday. There is no word on the severity of their injuries.

Oh well…I have to go vote for Blake, he is my favorite American idol…