• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Domestic Violence’s Overlooked Damage: Concussion And Brain Injury

June 4, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Survivors of domestic violence may be suffering largely in silence from the same traumatic brain injuries, memory loss and PTSD seen in veterans and athletes. (EP)
Survivors of domestic violence may be suffering largely in silence from the same traumatic brain injuries, memory loss and PTSD seen in veterans and athletes. (EP)

Hundreds of survivors of domestic violence have come through the doors of neurologist Glynnis Zieman’s Phoenix clinic in the past three years.


“The domestic violence patients are the next chapter of brain injury,” she said.

Zieman begins every new patient visit with a simple question: “What are the symptoms you hope I can help you with?”

For most, it’s the first time anyone has ever asked how they may have been injured in the first place. “I actually heard one patient tell me the only person who ever asked her if someone did this to her was a paramedic, as she was being wheeled into an ambulance,” Zieman said. “And the husband was at the foot of her stretcher.”

While many patients initially seek out the clinic because of physical symptoms, such as headaches, exhaustion, dizziness or problems sleeping, Zieman’s research shows that anxiety, depression and PTSD usually end up being the most severe problems, she said.

Studies of traumatic brain injury have revealed links to dementia and memory loss in veterans and athletes. And TBI has also been linked to PTSD in current or former service members.

But survivors of domestic violence may be suffering largely in silence.

About 70 percent of people seen in the emergency room for such abuse are never identified as survivors of domestic violence. It’s a health crisis cloaked in secrecy and shame, one that Zieman is uncovering through her work at the Barrow Concussion and Brain Injury Center.

 

She runs what she said is the first program dedicated to treating traumatic brain injury for survivors of domestic violence.

“About 81 percent of our patients had so many hits to the head, they lost count, which, you compare that to athletes, is astronomical,” Zieman said.

Zieman said it’s not just the sheer number of injuries that makes these patients’ cases so complex.

“One single athletic concussion is hard enough to treat, but these patients are beyond that,” she said. “Unlike athletes, they do not have the luxury, if you will, of recovering after an injury before they are injured again.”

Domestic violence is estimated to affect more than 10 million people each year. Head and neck injuries are some of the most common issues, and Zieman is uncovering how frequently traumatic brain injury is part of the picture.

Still, she said, the lack of recognition of the severity of the abuse-related problems has left many survivors without a definitive diagnosis. Many get blamed for their cognitive impairment.

“They have been labeled for so long with all these horrible things,” said Zieman. “And in the end, it’s not only not their fault but there is a true medical reason behind these issues and there are some things that can be done.”

 

Data on domestic violence and traumatic brain injury are sparse because cases are so underreported, but Zieman said her team’s initial findings indicate the issue is more prevalent than previously thought.

A 2016 review of the medical files of patients in the program — almost all women — discovered only one-fifth of them had seen a physician for their injuries. Eighty-eight percent had sustained more than one head injury from abuse.

Zieman works with local domestic violence shelters to identify women who may be suffering from brain injuries. Workers will send them to Zieman’s clinic where their physical symptoms, such as headaches or dizziness, can be treated along with the cognitive and emotional effects of their abuse. Through grants and private donations, Zieman said, the care is free, whether or not people have insurance.

Ashley Bridwell, a social worker at Barrow, works with Zieman to help survivors manage life with a brain injury. “Some of these simple things like filling out an application or remembering an appointment, or being able to give a solid social or medical history — it’s close to impossible considering what they are experiencing,” she said.

Bridwell helped start the program six years ago after doing outreach to the homeless community and realizing many clients had traumatic brain injuries from domestic violence. She said patients often have long histories of emotional and physical abuse. Many have cognitive impairment from repeated mild traumatic brain injury.

Patients will sometimes arrive at the clinic with a constellation of seemingly unexplainable symptoms. Bridwell said she remembers one who lost her job because of her forgetfulness. The woman thought she had Alzheimer’s.

“And for her to come in and get some information about head injury, and about how multiple hits to the head can impact your memory, your attention, your concentration, your speed of processing, it was incredibly validating for her,” said Bridwell.

The diagnosis gave her a new way to talk about and understand her private struggle. “They realize it’s not their fault,” Bridwell said.

And Zieman said PTSD and trauma affect this population deeply.

“The significance of the mood symptoms in this population far exceeds what we see in our other patients,” she said.

Zieman said medical science is still in the early stages of understanding the effects of repetitive brain injury and how to better treat it. The trauma of domestic violence only complicates the picture, but the survivors she sees remain her favorite patients to treat.

“I feel that we can make the biggest difference for these patients,” she said.

–Will Stone, KJZZ

This story is part of a partnership that includes KJZZ, NPR and Kaiser Health News.

 

Support FlaglerLive's End of Year Fundraiser
Thank you readers for getting us to--and past--our year-end fund-raising goal yet again. It’s a bracing way to mark our 15th year at FlaglerLive. Our donors are just a fraction of the 25,000 readers who seek us out for the best-reported, most timely, trustworthy, and independent local news site anywhere, without paywall. FlaglerLive is free. Fighting misinformation and keeping democracy in the sunshine 365/7/24 isn’t free. Take a brief moment, become a champion of fearless, enlightening journalism. Any amount helps. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible.  
You may donate openly or anonymously.
We like Zeffy (no fees), but if you prefer to use PayPal, click here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MannyHM says

    June 4, 2018 at 2:51 pm

    Approach to this should be multi-disciplinary. Doctors and nurses deal with this after the fact. The solution should be preventive and proactive. I see the need for social workers, lawyers, and law enforcement. Neighbors should be involved too. We are dealing with several issues here. From the victim side are the mechanism of denial and the wishful thinking that things would improve. From the abuser, the belief that he can continue the abuse with impunity. Deadly consequences from both sides.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Conner Bosch law attorneys lawyers offices palm coast flagler county
  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Pig Farmer on 8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
  • John Orlando on Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
  • Karen P on 8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
  • I'm done on Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
  • Carol on In Palm Coast Town Hall, David Jolly Gives Local Democrats Something to Cheer About as He Readies Run for Governor
  • Robin on Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
  • Wtf on 8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, June 6, 2025
  • FLF on 8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
  • JC on Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
  • Paul Larkin on Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
  • Stump Jumper on New Cell Towers Planned for Palm Coast Parkway East of I-95 and in Seminole Woods, as Business and Safety ‘Necessity’
  • Waste not on Without Prior Discussion, Palm Coast Council Approves $300,000 Plan Integrating City Surveillance with Sheriff’s Crime Center
  • Don on Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches
  • Nope on 8,000 Homes, 800 RV Sites: Biggest Development Since Palm Coast Seeks Bunnell Commission Approval
  • Not our money worth on Pam Richardson and Kim Carney Are Killing Flagler County’s Beaches

Log in