Invisible Injuries: Brain Injuries Caused by Domestic Violence

By Rachel Ramirez, The Center On Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury, The Ohio Domestic Violence Network

If you or someone you know have ever been in a relationship that was unsafe, you surely recognize that domestic violence can impact just about every area of a person’s life. Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive control that someone uses against the person they are in a relationship with, and involves many different tactics of abuse. These can include emotional and psychological abuse (such as gaslighting, name-calling, making someone feel crazy, threats, insults and put-downs), financial abuse (such as making a person lose their job, controlling money, ruining credit), and sexual abuse and coercion (such as forcing someone to have sex, sabotaging birth control, or making someone do something sexually they aren’t comfortable with).

But the most widely recognized – though not necessarily the most frequent – type of violence experienced by domestic violence victims is physical violence. The iconic image of a domestic violence victim in the United States is a woman with a black eye, and we have known for decades that domestic victims are often targeted in the head, neck, and face.

If you or someone you know has been in an abusive relationship, there is a good chance that their head might have been hurt at some point in the relationship – and their brain could have been impacted. If you or your loved one have ever been hit in the head, choked or strangled, shaken severely, fallen and hit their head, or hurt in a way that made it hard to breathe, your brain was probably hurt. Brain injuries can cause physical problems such as headaches, fatigue, feeling dizzy or in a fog, changes in vision, or had pain in the head and neck. People might have trouble remembering things, concentrating or paying attention, organizing life or getting things done, having problems with motivation, or have a difficult time understanding others.

Many victims of domestic violence who are having these challenges believe that these problems are further evidence that they are stupid or crazy – just like their abusive partner insisted. But there is nothing further from the truth! It takes courage, strength, resilience, and grit to survive an abusive relationship. Some of the troubling problems after physical violence could have hurt your brain and caused an injury that is NOT YOUR FAULT – and once an injury is identified, it can be treated and taken into consideration when making plans for your daily life. You can identify strategies to address some of your challenges – such as wearing sunglasses if the light bothers you or writing things down to help with your memory.  Also, consider talking to your doctor about the violence directed at your head, and they can make a referral for additional evaluation or follow up.

You are special, important, unique, and deserve to live your best life. To learn more about these invisible injuries, and get tools to help you better manage your life as you move forward on your path to safety, click here.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, contact the national Domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org for free, confidential help and information on your local domestic violence program.