Psychic Wounds, Physical Wounds, of Domestic Abuse Last a Lifetime
Everyone knows domestic abuse -- either verbal or physical -- is bad. But did you know it affects the health of those who are abused long-term? From muscle and joint aches to memory loss, a new study has found that, in a survey of 1,000 women, almost half reported that they were survivors of domestic abuse, and of that 44 percent, 20 percent had chronic pain issues, according to Liz Neporent of abcnews.com. "There's evidence that the majority of the 3 million to 4 million women who report a domestic violence incident each year, according to the American Medical Association, have an exceptionally high rate of health problems," Neporent reports. Domestic abuse victims also reported up to twice as many chronic conditions compared with those who said they were not abused, the survey found. More than 80 percent of domestic abuse survivors, and nearly 90 percent of those who said they had also been sexually abused, reported such problems as low back pain, chronic he...