Domestic violence against women and the COVID-19 pandemic: What is the role of psychiatry?

Date of Review: March, 2021

Gulati G, Kelly BD. Domestic violence against women and the COVID-19 pandemic: What is the role of psychiatry?. Int J Law Psychiatry. 2020;71:101594. doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2020.101594

A thoughtful commentary on the importance of being attentive to mental health issues surrounding domestic violence. The authors analyze the role of psychiatry and recommend continued provision and expansion of psychiatric services in addressing the increased rates of domestic violence associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The rationale for this call includes the importance of effective and sustained provision of such services in primary prevention of domestic violence as well as in secondary prevention via identifying and supporting survivors. The authors emphasize the importance of multi-agency response to domestic violence with the involvement of mental health teams whose functions include health promotion, advocacy and public education in addition to their role in the assessment and treatment of mental ill-health. —Memoona Hasnain, MD, MHPE, PhD