Incidence and prevalence of intimate partner violence by and against women with severe mental illness

Although a significant body of research has focused on the victimization of severely mentally ill persons and their perpetration of violence against others, relatively little attention has specifically addressed partner violence inflicted against and committed by severely mentally ill women. We conducted a review of the existing research to examine these issues. The published literature suggests that severely mentally ill women are at increased risk of being victimized by their partners and that a high proportion of severely mentally ill individuals may assault their intimate partners. Directions for future research and suggestions for clinical practice are presented.