Dr Helen Bichard
@drbichard.bsky.social
NHS North Wales Brain Injury Service; Honorary Fellow Bangor University; Expert Group at the Institute for Addressing Strangulation. Want more of: Cheese, Travel; Want end of: VAWG
#nonfatalstrangulation laws work: significant causal drop in #intimatepartnerhomicide in US. NFS is edge of homicide, increases odds of being murdered 7-fold; this law stops perps in their tracks. @scottishgov.bsky.social, still debating, take note! @institutefas.bsky.social tinyurl.com/37dazh2h
Non-Fatal Strangulation Laws and Intimate Partner Homicides
Do non-fatal strangulation laws save lives? Non-fatal strangulation (NFS) is a common and dangerous form of intimate partner violence (IPV) and a predictor of h
papers.ssrn.com
July 29, 2025 at 7:35 AM
#nonfatalstrangulation laws work: significant causal drop in #intimatepartnerhomicide in US. NFS is edge of homicide, increases odds of being murdered 7-fold; this law stops perps in their tracks. @scottishgov.bsky.social, still debating, take note! @institutefas.bsky.social tinyurl.com/37dazh2h
3 YEARS after law changed, Government finally tells schools they must outline medical and legal risk of #strangulation & sexual #choking in curriculum. England only - rest of UK needs to follow, yesterday. @institutefas.bsky.social assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a3d...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
July 25, 2025 at 7:42 AM
3 YEARS after law changed, Government finally tells schools they must outline medical and legal risk of #strangulation & sexual #choking in curriculum. England only - rest of UK needs to follow, yesterday. @institutefas.bsky.social assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687a3d...
Discussion on sexual #choking (30mins in) citing our research on brain impact. Follows news that FINALLY Government issues SexEd guidance for schools covering risks of #strangulation. England only - rest of UK needs to follow ASAP. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Woman's Hour - Three-person DNA babies, Emer Kenny, Dangers of sexual strangulation - BBC Sounds
Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 22, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Discussion on sexual #choking (30mins in) citing our research on brain impact. Follows news that FINALLY Government issues SexEd guidance for schools covering risks of #strangulation. England only - rest of UK needs to follow ASAP. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Interesting pre-print using data from @womensaid.bsky.social on health outcomes from #domesticviolence. Threats to kill increase risk of #strangulation FOUR TIMES - clear escalation. NB it's not 'attempted' strangulation, it IS! @institutefas.bsky.social www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
Health outcomes of victim-survivors accessing specialist domestic abuse services: the role of abuse experience, vulnerabilities and sociodemographic characteristics
Background Domestic abuse (DA) is a public health problem with wide-ranging impacts for victim-survivors and services responding to it. The purpose of the current study was to explore relationships be...
www.researchsquare.com
July 1, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Interesting pre-print using data from @womensaid.bsky.social on health outcomes from #domesticviolence. Threats to kill increase risk of #strangulation FOUR TIMES - clear escalation. NB it's not 'attempted' strangulation, it IS! @institutefas.bsky.social www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
Worrying new paper from Prof Cath White: in 6 year period, doubling of #strangulation in sexual assault on children. All perps male. Association with victim's mental health - effect, or vulnerability? @institutefas.bsky.social @claremcglynn.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Analysis of case files of children reporting non-fatal strangulation as part of a sexual assault
There is increasing awareness of non-fatal strangulation (NFS) in interpersonal violence in adults but less in the literature regarding children and y…
www.sciencedirect.com
June 24, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Worrying new paper from Prof Cath White: in 6 year period, doubling of #strangulation in sexual assault on children. All perps male. Association with victim's mental health - effect, or vulnerability? @institutefas.bsky.social @claremcglynn.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
UK Government to outlaw #strangulation aka #choking in porn. Brilliant news, proud of team for pushing on this. Porn has helped normalise this utterly abnormal act, such that girls as young as 12 risk #braininjury including #stroke, and #PTSD from their first sexual encounters.
Our response on Govt plan to criminalise strangulation in porn.
Increasingly young peoples sexual experiences are being informed by what they have viewed in pornography and this includes viewing acts of strangulation also referenced as “choking” within pornography.
ifas.org.uk/we-respond-t...
Increasingly young peoples sexual experiences are being informed by what they have viewed in pornography and this includes viewing acts of strangulation also referenced as “choking” within pornography.
ifas.org.uk/we-respond-t...
June 24, 2025 at 7:32 AM
UK Government to outlaw #strangulation aka #choking in porn. Brilliant news, proud of team for pushing on this. Porn has helped normalise this utterly abnormal act, such that girls as young as 12 risk #braininjury including #stroke, and #PTSD from their first sexual encounters.
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
It’s time the government took action on repeated recommendations in domestic homicide reviews and ensured all health professionals receive comprehensive training, including on the risk posed by domestic abuse-related suicides.
Domestic abuse is ‘public health emergency’, experts say after critical NHS report
Exclusive: Analysis finds domestic abuse training for staff in England and Wales ‘sporadic and inconsistent’
www.theguardian.com
June 23, 2025 at 11:44 AM
It’s time the government took action on repeated recommendations in domestic homicide reviews and ensured all health professionals receive comprehensive training, including on the risk posed by domestic abuse-related suicides.
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
Healthcare workers are often the first, and only, point of contact for victims of abuse. It is essential they are equipped to identify, signpost and safeguard victims who need support.
As this report shows, the consequences of inaction can be serious harm, including death.
As this report shows, the consequences of inaction can be serious harm, including death.
Domestic abuse is ‘public health emergency’, experts say after critical NHS report
Exclusive: Analysis finds domestic abuse training for staff in England and Wales ‘sporadic and inconsistent’
www.theguardian.com
June 23, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Healthcare workers are often the first, and only, point of contact for victims of abuse. It is essential they are equipped to identify, signpost and safeguard victims who need support.
As this report shows, the consequences of inaction can be serious harm, including death.
As this report shows, the consequences of inaction can be serious harm, including death.
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
Timothy Spall looks well.
June 20, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Timothy Spall looks well.
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
'Often people say they experience a “euphoric” feeling during strangulation, but that feeling is your brain cells being damaged – and you can’t regenerate new ones. If strangulation happens frequently, you’re putting yourself at risk of nerve damage, stroke and even death.’
tinyurl.com/4edfamdf
tinyurl.com/4edfamdf
June 18, 2025 at 2:44 PM
'Often people say they experience a “euphoric” feeling during strangulation, but that feeling is your brain cells being damaged – and you can’t regenerate new ones. If strangulation happens frequently, you’re putting yourself at risk of nerve damage, stroke and even death.’
tinyurl.com/4edfamdf
tinyurl.com/4edfamdf
Study highlighting risk of #braininjury in #domesticviolence & long term health impacts. We know this; challenge now is to address. That's why we're piloting #neuropsychology in-reach with DV services in North Wales. Watch this space! @institutefas.bsky.social mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1...
Intimate partner violence, traumatic brain injury and long-term mental health outcomes in midlife: the Drake IPV study
Background Approximately 30% of women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, often with traumatic brain injury (TBI) exposure. Nevertheless, there has been limited research expl...
mentalhealth.bmj.com
June 17, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Study highlighting risk of #braininjury in #domesticviolence & long term health impacts. We know this; challenge now is to address. That's why we're piloting #neuropsychology in-reach with DV services in North Wales. Watch this space! @institutefas.bsky.social mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1...
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
“It is clear that within books/ films strangulation is conveyed as something women desire, that it can be done safely & seriousness is connected to visible bruising, something research contradicts.”
Our research analysing strangulation in UK media. ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
Our research analysing strangulation in UK media. ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
June 10, 2025 at 3:47 PM
“It is clear that within books/ films strangulation is conveyed as something women desire, that it can be done safely & seriousness is connected to visible bruising, something research contradicts.”
Our research analysing strangulation in UK media. ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
Our research analysing strangulation in UK media. ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
- We can’t learn from what we don’t know, so data is key if we are to support the government’s aims to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
Full findings: ifas.org.uk/police-data-...
8/8
Full findings: ifas.org.uk/police-data-...
8/8
Police Data on Strangulation and Suffocation Offences - Institute for Addressing Strangulation
We requested data from the Home Office in 2023 pertaining to the number of strangulation and suffocation offences recorded by the police in the first year of strangulation and suffocation becoming a s...
ifas.org.uk
June 11, 2025 at 9:47 AM
- We can’t learn from what we don’t know, so data is key if we are to support the government’s aims to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
Full findings: ifas.org.uk/police-data-...
8/8
Full findings: ifas.org.uk/police-data-...
8/8
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
My latest briefing on how the prevalence of sexual strangulation/choking risks serious harm to young women who are the unwitting guinea pigs of a large-scale experiment with their well-being.
We need far better education and regulation.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
We need far better education and regulation.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Sexual strangulation, criminal law and pornography regulation
This Research Briefing outlines how English law currently applies to depictions of sexual strangulation, why it is a concern that such material is so freely and
papers.ssrn.com
June 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
My latest briefing on how the prevalence of sexual strangulation/choking risks serious harm to young women who are the unwitting guinea pigs of a large-scale experiment with their well-being.
We need far better education and regulation.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
We need far better education and regulation.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
New US paper, proposing new term "partner-inflicted brain injury" in #domesticviolence, to reflect finding that majority of DV survivors had a) likely brain injury & b) this was from repetitive & concurrent TBI (blows to head) + hypoxia from #strangulation. @institutefas.bsky.social
Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury: Intentional, Concurrent, and Repeated Traumatic and Hypoxic Neurologic Insults - PubMed
(1) Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused from rapid head acceleration/deceleration, focal blows, blasts, penetrating forces, and/or shearing forces, whereas hypoxic-anoxic injury (HAI) i...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
June 3, 2025 at 2:31 PM
New US paper, proposing new term "partner-inflicted brain injury" in #domesticviolence, to reflect finding that majority of DV survivors had a) likely brain injury & b) this was from repetitive & concurrent TBI (blows to head) + hypoxia from #strangulation. @institutefas.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
We are publishing research on strangulation in UK media through analysing online article titles.
We will be launching findings through 5 short weekly reports. Sign up to our newsletter to get an alert: shorturl.at/Vjayj
Access Part 1 the Introduction & Methodology: ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
We will be launching findings through 5 short weekly reports. Sign up to our newsletter to get an alert: shorturl.at/Vjayj
Access Part 1 the Introduction & Methodology: ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
June 3, 2025 at 10:47 AM
We are publishing research on strangulation in UK media through analysing online article titles.
We will be launching findings through 5 short weekly reports. Sign up to our newsletter to get an alert: shorturl.at/Vjayj
Access Part 1 the Introduction & Methodology: ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
We will be launching findings through 5 short weekly reports. Sign up to our newsletter to get an alert: shorturl.at/Vjayj
Access Part 1 the Introduction & Methodology: ifas.org.uk/strangulatio...
"We tell women to report crimes and then either don’t believe them, or say they were violent too when they do. And when they don’t report, we question why they stayed in a relationship and tell them that they wanted the abuse."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Diddy’s lawyers are banking on the ‘mutual abuse’ defence. Newsflash: it’s not a thing | Tayo Bero
Power isn’t equal in an unhealthy relationship. But it’s no surprise Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s team is deploying the tactic
www.theguardian.com
May 16, 2025 at 3:16 PM
"We tell women to report crimes and then either don’t believe them, or say they were violent too when they do. And when they don’t report, we question why they stayed in a relationship and tell them that they wanted the abuse."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Striking new US study, showing men presenting at hospital following #strangulation are 4.5 times more likely than women to have a CT scan. @institutefas.bsky.social #domesticviolence #sexualviolence #VAWG www.neurology.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Improving CT imaging in Non-Fatal strangulation Domestic Violence Victims (P6-14.002) | Neurology
Objective: In collaboration with Brooklyn District Attorney office, we examined and designed
a quality improvement study to look at the performance of CT imaging in non-fatal
strangulation DV in the e...
www.neurology.org
April 24, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Striking new US study, showing men presenting at hospital following #strangulation are 4.5 times more likely than women to have a CT scan. @institutefas.bsky.social #domesticviolence #sexualviolence #VAWG www.neurology.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Dr Helen Bichard
We welcome Baroness Bertin's report & the attention given to non-fatal strangulation (NFS) & porn. We welcome recommendations that NFS porn should be illegal to possess, distribute, publish.
We eagerly await Govt response & timeline of action.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
We eagerly await Govt response & timeline of action.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Ban pornography depicting strangulation, review urges UK ministers
Independent review also calls for ban on other ‘legal but harmful’ material that is degrading, violent or misogynistic
www.theguardian.com
March 4, 2025 at 9:38 AM
We welcome Baroness Bertin's report & the attention given to non-fatal strangulation (NFS) & porn. We welcome recommendations that NFS porn should be illegal to possess, distribute, publish.
We eagerly await Govt response & timeline of action.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
We eagerly await Govt response & timeline of action.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Within seconds, dyspraxia can set in, due to lack of oxygenated blood to the brain, making safe words redundant. Consent should also be informed, but there's little public awareness of the risks. Encouraged to see porn's role formally recognised in the review. Ministers now need to act! #vawg
There is no safe way to strangle and consent for these acts is not always sought in advance, and an individual's ability to provide ongoing consent can be impeded by being strangled.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'He strangled me without asking': The dangers of choking during sex
Experts say it is increasingly filtering into real life as a result of frequent depiction in porn.
www.bbc.co.uk
March 18, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Within seconds, dyspraxia can set in, due to lack of oxygenated blood to the brain, making safe words redundant. Consent should also be informed, but there's little public awareness of the risks. Encouraged to see porn's role formally recognised in the review. Ministers now need to act! #vawg