DV and Traumatic Brain Injury

As I have aged, I have come to understand with my neurologist's help, the extent of damages that repeated abuse has upon a woman's or child's body. Of course, a woman can handle a beating of any endurance far easier than a child.

The injuries I sustained 20 years ago are just now beginning to surface as real medical issues for me ( when you are 22, you think you heal quickly and forget the incident as soon as possible) I have jaw problems from punches to the left side of the head, slight fractures of the eye sockets and back problems from being thrown into walls or kicked while in a fetal position. The worst are the brain injuries. I say this, not for pity, but to reach those of you who are currently facing this very same thing, thinking that it will get better. I do understand your fear and your need to believe that you can handle this. I want to urge you to get help for any injuries that you sustain at his hands.

For today, I am going to focus only on the effects of domestic violence on the brain, regardless of age of the victim.

The link above in the title is from a tip sheet from the Brain Institute in Virgina. Family or friends of someone who has been abused should be aware of some of the symptoms of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).

Domestic violence assaults can cause TBI as a result of
blows to the head/face or strangulation. There may not be physical signs that a TBI has occurred; many mild injuries do not require a hospital stay, yet the effects of the injury can change someone ’ s life forever.

TBI can result in physical, cognitive and emotional
impairments.

Studies have estimated blows to the head or face occur in
50% to 90% of assaults.

A concussion, with or without a loss of consciousness, is a
symptom of a brain injury.

Signs and Symptoms of TBI
Physical, cognitive and emotional problems resulting from assault can occur immediately after an injury; however it may also take some time for any of these symptoms to appear:

Persistent headache

Confusion

Neck pain

Slowness in thinking, acting, speaking or reading

Short term memory loss

Trouble paying attention, concentrating, making
decisions, solving problems

Fatigue

Loss of balance

Blurred vision

Ringing in the ears

If someone has been involved in a domestic violence situation, the following questions may help determine if additional assistance is needed:

Was your head hit?

Was your head slammed into an object?

Were you choked, suffocated, shaken or strangled?

Did you lose consciousness?

Did you feel dazed and/or confused?

Are you having trouble concentrating, organizing or
remembering things?

Are you experiencing emotional changes such as irritability,
sadness or lack of motivation?

Are you experiencing headaches, vision and/or hearing
problems or loss of balance?National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-7233
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

This material is in the public domain; please duplicate and distribute widely.



If you are currently in a situation that is violent, I urge you to read with care so you can try to be aware of injuries that can kill you or do life long, long term damage.


Some readers are unaware of what women go through that is why I do this blog and for others of you, perhaps you can feel blessed you had healthy relationships in your life and can have alot of gratitude next time something gets you down :)