Emmitsburg Osteopathic Primary Care Center
121-123 West Main Street, Rear Entrance
P.O. Box 1219
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
301-447-3310

Domestic Violence

Outwardly, at least all of the TV commercials would have it be, the winter holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years are times for celebration, family bonding. Lots of love and dollars are spread around as if unlimited supply. The reality is sometimes the stress and pressure of unlimited expectations can push folks to their limits. Sometimes folks are always at their limits anyway. The concern is that tension leads to shouting leads to violence. Or maybe violence without any warning. Perhaps 40 percent of the population are affected.

Neither money nor education nor life status seems to influence or protect folks from being either perpetrators of violence or victims of violence. There is greater risk for the elderly as frustrated care takers "let loose" on the dependent person in their charge. Women are at greater risk than men, but men also are abused. Children suffer and do not know how to make it better to protect themselves or their loved ones. Children who have been physically or sexually abused are at greater risk of doing the same to others. When I was doing my internship a 7 year old boy was admitted to our psychiatric center because he had sexually violated his 5 year old sister multiple times. Investigation showed an adult had sexually violated him. One could see in his eyes how broken he was and that he would probably be broken forever. It broke my heart, both for him and his sister. Too often physical injury, sometimes costing a person their life, is the result of another’s unchecked rage. Regret later does not heal the damage. Medical influences can be high blood pressure, chronic illnesses such as asthma or diabetes and arthritis, alcohol dependence, depression and anxiety. There are other predisposing illnesses that include personality disorders, autistic traits, schizo-affective disorders to mention a few. Cultural influences include family history of violence where the yelling and screaming and hurting seems just the way folks communicate. Seventy percent of victims of such violence carry the tendency to perpetuate that same violence. Much of our music, movies, TV all support violent answers to complex problems. Violence as a nation seems to be the ultimate solution. It is hard for us to rise above this flood of data input and set aside our physical power and work toward solutions that take more time and energy.

As with any medical problem, having a chronic illness that can lead to body injury or demise needs intervention. Avoiding treatment whether perpetrator or victim is not an acceptable option.

If you recognize this tendency in yourself or if others have noticed a problem, do not hesitate to seek medical assistance and social assistance. Folks have dedicated their whole education just to be there for you. If you are a witness to such situations, do everything you can to obtain help for those involved. Sometimes medical attention is enough. In some situations legal assistance— part of the social arm of help— is very needed. Psychiatric and social services are also needed.

It takes courage to get help, it takes courage to go with the slower non-violent solution, it takes courage to trust formal institutions of assistance. Brave we must be. Talk to your primary care provider, we are not there to judge, but to help anyway we can. In Maryland, victims of violence can call the Heartly House at (301) 662-8800. In Pennsylvania, the organization is Survivors, reachable at 1-800-787-8106 and (717) 334-9777.

God bless us one and all this season.