Citation

Kirkland K, Mason RE. South. Med. J. 1992; 85(10): 965-968.

Affiliation

Montgomery Internal Medicine Residency Program, University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Medicine 36111.

Comment In:

South Med J 1993;86(6):717.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, Southern Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1411736

Abstract

This article reports a case study on a crime victim identified and treated in an internal medicine residency program. Recent findings on crime and violence in the United States are reviewed with a particular focus on the psychologic and medical aftermath faced by victims. A unique role for the internist is suggested in the management of such sequelae. Research studies suggest that victims of crime, especially violent crime, evidence one or more of several clusters of acute and delayed emotional responses that typically progress through three stages of a recovery process. Physician awareness of these symptom clusters should result in increased understanding and improved assessment/treatment of crime victims.

Language: en