Editor 's note : Jane Velez-Mitchell is host of the HLN show , `` Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell , '' a topical event-driven show with a wide range of viewpoints . Velez-Mitchell is the author of `` Secrets Can Be Murder : What America 's Most Sensational Crimes Tell Us About Ourselves . '' Jane Velez-Mitchell says the targets of stalkers are n't just celebrities and that millions are victims . NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- Hollywood starlet Jennifer Love Hewitt recently obtained a restraining order against a man who she claims had been stalking her since 2007 . The man sent hundreds of threatening letters , as well as plane tickets to Australia , and he left flowers at the home of Hewitt 's mother . Uma Thurman had even more frightening brushes with her stalker before he was convicted . Jack Jordan visited her house and also tried to get into her on-set trailer . Thurman eventually faced Jordan in court , where he was convicted of stalking and aggravated harassment and sentenced to three years probation and psychiatric counseling . This , to me , sounds like a victory for Jordan , since he was placed in the same courtroom as his victim and could eventually go right back to stalking . Many assume this type of thing is relegated only to those who grace the covers of gossip magazines and movie posters . Sheila Ann Grayson was n't famous , but that did n't save her . Police in South Carolina say Grayson was killed by her stalker last May , two weeks after taking out a restraining order against him . A new study published this month by the Department of Justice 's Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated based on a survey that 3.4 million Americans per year are victims of stalking . For some perspective , that 's more than the entire population of Chicago , Illinois . The comprehensive study found that divorced or separated individuals are at the highest risk of being stalked . Women are more than twice as likely as men to be stalked , and two thirds of female victims are stalked by males . It is becoming an epidemic -- 1.4 million Americans were stalked a decade ago , according to a similar Justice Department study , and new technology is partly responsible for the increase . Texting , e-mailing and social networking sites make it easier to connect with friends . But they also make it easier for stalkers to connect with -- and track -- their targets . I recently saw a cellphone advertisement promoting an application that allows the user to track friends on a map and see what they 're doing . The ad sent chills up my spine . What a tool that would be for someone 's obsessed ex-lover . America 's law enforcement system does n't play a dominant role in deterring stalking . Most incidents are n't reported by the victims . And according to the study , of the victims surveyed , 15 percent credited law enforcement warnings for keeping their stalker in line while only 10 percent said a restraining order did the trick . Even locking stalkers up only works until they 're free . Only 6 percent of victims said the stalking stopped after the offender was arrested or incarcerated . Stalkers often have underlying psychological problems or are socially incompetent , and about 30 percent have delusional disorders , according to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry . So trying to solve stalking cases through legal means is like trying to clear a roach problem without getting rid of the food lying around . The American Journal of Psychiatry study recommends a mixture of legal action and therapeutic intervention . But intervention must happen early . Troubled children who get no counseling could grow up and develop the dysfunctional traits identified in the American Journal of Psychiatry study . In elementary school we should teach nonviolent conflict resolution and healthy communication skills , which will help children cope with issues like rejection and sexuality later in life . I 've been stalked and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life . I can say firsthand that it becomes a hunter-prey relationship . So we must try psychological approaches that emphasize healthy interaction between consenting persons . Therapy could help early offenders see their victims as humans again , instead of objects . Some stalkers show addictive behavior , and their victim is the drug . Just as marijuana is seen as a gateway drug , I believe stalking is a gateway crime that leads to violence and even murder . This approach provides another angle from which to attack the problem . Unlike other crimes , stalking crosses all classes , races , and age groups . This makes it difficult to pin down causes , but provides opportunities to try out these creative and inexpensive prevention techniques . But we can only change our approach to this problem if victims speak up . Approximately 60 percent of stalking victims do n't report to the police , according to the Justice Department study . Though law enforcement alone is n't the answer , imagine if all 3.4 million victims had reported . It would provide authorities with a much larger pool of information . And with such a large number of people affected , it becomes a problem politicians ca n't ignore . The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of Jane Velez-Mitchell .
Jane Velez-Mitchell : New study says 3 million-plus Americans are stalked . She says most victims do n't report the crime to law enforcement . Velez-Mitchell : Few cases wind up being resolved by police and court action . She says we need to do counseling and victims need to come forward .