Lifestyle » Connect with Kids

Dating Violence and Suicide

By Erika von Tiehl
July 8, 2010 Updated Jul 8, 2010 at 4:03 PM EDT

Statistics show that one in three teens has experienced violence in a dating relationship. It can vary from verbal to physical to sexual abuse. The warning signs often include depression, drug and alcohol abuse. However, experts say those symptoms can lead to an even bigger danger. Research shows that girls in violent dating relationships are more likely to experiment with drugs, develop eating disorders and suffer from depression. Kim Ferndak, a Domestic Violence Counselor, says "All the signs of depression would certainly show up if there's dating violence after a period of time, because a person's self-esteem begins to become eroded." Also, according to Columbia University Medical Center, girls who have been sexually assaulted are also more likely to attempt suicide.
A domestic violence counselor, Julia Perilla, says that these are the warning signs: bruises, cuts, mood changes and a sudden change in friends or grades. But, like many parents, she thought 'it won't happen to my daughter.' "In reality what happens is that it occurs much more frequently than we are aware of, it happens in all kinds of ethnicities, and it happens in all kinds of groups. It happens to people who are very well educated and to people who don't have formal education."

To submit a comment on this article, your email address is required. We respect your privacy and your email will not be visible to others nor will it be added to any email lists.