Health Needs of Survivors of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is not over when the victim is safe and out of harm's way. It's not over until justice has been served. Even then, it's not over. It's not over until the victim is safe, justice has been served, and the victim is well.

Consider these facts:

• Abuse, especially repetitive abuse, leaves a lasting "impression" on the health, well-being, and post-abuse functioning of the victim. This impact lingers long after the bruises fade, the bones mend, and the abuse is over.
• Victims of violence seek healthcare more often than non-victims. The severity of victimization is a powerful predictor of the healthcare costs generated by these victims.
• Most healthcare visits by victims of domestic violence are not domestic violence patients presenting with injuries, but rather medical problems that seemingly are not related to current or past injuries.

The health effects of violence can reach across the life span. Studies have now shown that adults who were abused in childhood vs. those who were not have more:

• Infectious diseases
• Mental health disorders
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Dermatitis
• Asthma
• Allergy
• Acne
• Abnormal menstrual bleeding
• More heath-threatening behaviors such as smoking, the use of alcohol, driving while intoxicated, avoiding regular gynecological examinations, not wearing seat belts, sedentary lifestyle, and high-risk sexual encounters.

The abuse sustained in an intimate partner relationship does not have to be physical to cause poor health. Intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) can take several forms: physical abuse, verbal abuse, and forced sex. When Dr. Ann Coker and her colleagues looked at domestic violence in a large series of patients, they found that approximately 14% of domestic violence victims have only been victimized psychologically, not physically. These victims had higher rates of numerous medical problems that the non-abused do not have. Among them:

• Disability that prevented working
• Arthritis
• Chronic pain
• Migraine and other frequent headaches
• Stammering
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Stomach ulcers
• Frequent indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation.

These findings pose an interesting question: Do victims of psychological abuse have fewer or more health problems than victims of physical violence? Dr. Coker and her colleagues found that "psychological IPV was as strongly associated with the majority of adverse health outcomes as was physical IPV." The old childhood taunt of "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me," is wrong, wrong, wrong. And now we have research to support the idea that it's wrong.

Survivors of domestic violence or IPVA will tell you that life after abuse is never the same. Some experience insomnia, multiple aches and pains, problems with concentration, intrusive thoughts, fatigue, and irritability. Any one of these can interfere with effective functioning and set the stage for depression and even despair.

Violence and abuse of all forms is complex and the resulting health effects are interwoven. No single approach cures all. Medical help for domestic violence victims and survivors exists but is scattered. Appropriate care is often difficult to find and access, but it can be done. Healthcare providers and survivors must learn to work together to secure the best state of health possible for survivors of domestic violence.

My recent book on using expressive writing to help resolve lingering health issues offers one way to give aid to survivors and their supporters. You can read a summary about the book at website http://healthaftertrauma/

© Copyright Ellen Taliaferro, MD 2005. All rights reserved. . You have permission to publish part or all of this article electronically or in print, in your newsletter, on your website, or in your e-book, as long you maintain the hyperlinks in the article and include the following information: "Written by Ellen Taliaferro, MD, author, speaker, and expert witness. Dr T. can be contacted through http://www.healthaftertrauma.com. A copy of your reprint or publication would be appreciated.

---

OxyContin Addiction: Doctors & Drug Lords

OxyContin is a narcotic drug, an opiate, that has been... Read More

Infants and Acid Reflux

Infant acid reflux is quite common. People of all ages,... Read More

Lunesta Dependence

Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a... Read More

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine, over 2000 years old, is an ancient form... Read More

The Equine Cushings Cure

Equine Cushings disease is caused by a tumor in the... Read More

The Importance Of Using Electric Wheelchairs To Improve Mobility

No person likes to feel housebound and dependent on others.... Read More

Naproxen Lawyer: Aleve Recall Consideration

Naproxen belongs to a class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory... Read More

You Are Getting Very Sleepy....The Truth about Hypnosis

A hypnotic "trance" is not something that is foreign to... Read More

Top Ten Things You Should Know About Contact Lenses

1. Soft lenses are perceived by most patients and practitioners... Read More

Clinton on South Beach Diet

Clinton's recent quadruple bypass surgery has been largely debated. Being... Read More

Every Pharmaceutical Drug LEECHES Nutrients From Your Body

Are you currently on one or more pharmaceutical drugs? Perhaps... Read More

Protect Yourself Against the Flu Vaccine!

The vaccine industry insists that their vaccines against the flu... Read More

Celebrex Side Effects Lawsuit Lawyer

The Food and Drug administration urges people to stop taking... Read More

Why R.I.C.E.?

What is R.I.C.E. and why do you need it? One... Read More

A Fresh Start Plan for People With Neck Pain!

"If you have to deal with chronic neck pain, it... Read More

Five Secrets of High Blood Pressure Treatment

Thirty percent of human population has a high blood pressure... Read More

10 Steps To Detoxification

Technology. We live in a grand time of technological development.... Read More

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (AChEIs)for the Treatment of Moderate and

Checklist of Treatments for Alzheimer's DiseasePart 1 of 8For approximately... Read More

Buy Lunesta Cheap By Comparing Prescription Prices Online

We all know that there's no such thing as cheap... Read More

Orphan Drugs: Hope Where There Is Little or No Hope

NEW YORK, N.Y., February 18, 2004 ? On a visit... Read More

Phentermine Price Watch: Comparison Shop To Buy Phentermine At The Best Values Online

When compared with the other prescription diet pills, Phentermine is... Read More

Ativan Side Effects Lawyer

The drug Lorazepan is marketed under the names Alzapam, Ativan,... Read More

Orthotics and Your Feet

Orthotics are devices which fit into the shoe to aid... Read More

Chicago Drug Rehab: Long Term Help For a Real Recovery

The central location of the city of Chicago has made... Read More

Dangerous Drugs

Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra: An editorial regarding dangerous drugsGenerally my... Read More

How to Remove the Psychological Addiction to Smoking - and Start to ENJOY Giving Up Smoking!

Consider this:Already since 1972, over 60 million people in the... Read More

The Highway to Health - Bumped Heads

I recently had a reader send me this comment:"As a... Read More

Pediatric Emergency Contact Notifications Made Easier

For the head of the trauma department at one of... Read More

The Power of Ice

Using ice to treat injuries is one of the oldest... Read More

Generating Pharmaceutical Sales before Marketing Authorization

When a patient has a serious illness and there is... Read More

Tempest in a Tea Cup, Wisdom in a Sake Cup

What an oxymoron the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has... Read More

Hemorrhoids Treatment - A Variety of Options

A variety of options exist for hemorrhoid treatment including surgery,... Read More

Pharmaceuticals: The Next Frontier in America?s War on Drugs

America's war on drugs, which has been fought in the... Read More