( Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

News Flash: The man who police say shot and killed eight people in a rural Virginia home is in police custody, state officials announced Wednesday. Police say Speight fatally shot eight people at a house in Appomattox County, Va., on Tuesday and forced down a police helicopter after shooting its fuel tank. Authorities have identified the victims of the Virginia mass killing as four adults, three teenagers and a 4-year-old.

News Flash: A gunman clad in black went on a shooting rampage Thursday, killing his ex-girlfriend then slaying four workers at a suburban shopping mall near Helsinki before turning his gun on himself, police said.

News Flash: Two officers were wounded after the man opened fire on them when they responded to a domestic disturbance. The gunman was later arrested after surrendering following a four-hour stand-off. Richard Poplawski, 23, was armed with an assault rifle and two other guns and was said to be depressed after losing his job and feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.

News Flash: It was reported that the man who shot dead 13 people and then killed himself at an immigrant community centre in the small American college town of Binghamton on Friday was depressed because he was unemployed and had difficulty in learning English.

News Flash: In Los Angeles, an unemployed man with an MBA who was despondent over his financial problems shot and killed his wife, three children, mother-in-law and himself in an upscale home in a gated community. Officers found the bodies yesterday morning, after the wife failed to show up for work. The father left two suicide notes that detailed his money problems – one for police and one for friends and relatives. A will and a gun were found near his body.

News Flash: On Sunday a gun man entered Pinelake Nursing Home of North Carolina at around 10 a.m. with more than one weapon. Witnesses report that he used both a deer gun and a shotgun as he blasted through the hallways. Wanda Stewart hid out in a secured washroom while her estranged husband Robert Stewart allegedly went through the nursing home with a gun.

News Flash: In Toronto, A young woman, cuddling her eight-week-old infant, comes seeking help for physical abuse by her spouse: her eye is blackened and the baby has a broken arm. Another woman has also reached out in desperation: an argument over a dental bill ended with her enraged husband stuffing the invoice, literally, down her throat.

The country’s economic indicators may be falling, but incidents of domestic violence and deadly rage are rising. Hotline calls, shelter visits, and domestic violence-related crimes are all up significantly, according to recent reports from US, Canada and UK.

Job loss and declines in income add even more strain on violent relationships. A study on recent domestic-violence homicides found that “limited access to services for victims and unemployment for batterers” were key risk factors of abuse. And women often feel trapped in abusive relationships during tough economic times.

The economy is not causing domestic violence, but it definitely influences it.

Beware Recession Rage, don’t feed the beast, seek help.