Be Alert to Incidence of Domestic Abuse & Related Health Problems

[N'Zinga Shani]

The Holiday Season IS SUPPOSED TO BE A TIME OF JOY AND CELEBRATION.  For  many it is also a time of added stress . DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROLIFERATES DURING AND AFTER HOLIDAYS.

Please be alert and watchful for signs of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE among loved ones. Make the connection between a history of past Domestic Abuse and current chronic health problems.

“Verizon Foundation and More Magazine released new research exploring the connection between domestic abuse and long-term health issues. That study found that victims of domestic abuse are 20 percent more likely to suffer from a chronic health condition — like depression, diabetes, asthma, and digestive disease — compared to people who have never been abused.”

We know that domestic violence has serious health consequences. Federal officials estimate that the country spends $4.1 billion each year on the medical and mental health costs stemming from domestic abuse. But across the country, there are still countless women who do not make the connection between their current health problems and their history of abuse.  Please help those you know to 'make the connection.' Encourage women to talk to their doctors about past abuse.

How Our Current Health System Is Failing Victims Of Domestic Violence
Think Progress, Tara Culp-Ressler, 11/14/2013
Two decades ago, Leslie Morgan Steiner was beaten, threatened at gunpoint, and thrown down a flight of stairs by the man who was then her husband. After leaving that abusive relationship, she became an advocate for domestic violence awareness. Nonetheless, when her doctors recently told her that her chronic health issues seemed unusual for someone as young as she is, she didn’t immediately make the connection. http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/11/14/2939781/domestic-violenc...