People with disabilities at greater risk of violence and mental illness

Their analysis also revealed that victims with disability were twice as likely to experience emotional difficulties following violence than non-disabled victims. Across England and Wales in 2009, approximately 224,000 people with disabilities experienced violence, resulting in an excess economic burden of £1.51 billion. The authors state that overall, the prevalence and risk of violence they estimated in their study is consistent with reports from other countries such as the US and Taiwan. According to the authors, their research highlights the need for clinicians to be aware of the greater risks of domestic and non-domestic violence among patients with all disability types, and of the increased risk of emotional difficulties among disabled victims. The study concludes, "Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of violence prevention programs in people with disability that address risk factors specific to this group, such as caregiver stress or communication barriers to disclosure." Paper reference: Khalifeh, Hind et al. 'Violence against People with Disability in England and Wales: Findings from a National Cross-Sectional Survey' PLOS ONE doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055952 , please Seil Collins, Press Officer, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, tel: (+44) 0207 848 5377. Email: seil.collins [a] kcl.ac (p) uk Researchers from King's Institute of Psychiatry have discovered that tau, a key constituent of the tangles present in the brain in Alzheimer's disease, can be released from healthy neurons in the absence of cell death.