At 44, Karin had a successful career and three nearly-grown children. Then, in 2004, she began a rel

LATEST POSTS Desperately Seeking A Tampon? There's An App For That Meningitis Roundup: AG Involved; Assigning Blame; First Suit Filed; Brown Donations Probe Of Pharmacy Linked To Tainted Steroids Widens; 14 Now Reported Dead The Peanut Allergy cpr 15 That Wasn't Money
LATEST POSTS Report: Private Insurers Cost Medicare Billions In Excess Payments Debating Health Care: When I Screamed Loudest cpr 15 At The TV The Future Of Mass. Health Reform, And Will We Need Insurers? Homer Simpson On ObamaCare Politics
LATEST POSTS Report: Private Insurers Cost Medicare Billions In Excess Payments Debating Health Care: When I Screamed Loudest At The TV Politico: Mass. Democrats Stump For 'Romneycare' In Nevada Homer Simpson On ObamaCare Personal Health
LATEST POSTS Desperately Seeking A Tampon? There's cpr 15 An App For That A Gradual, Excruciating Descent Into Domestic Violence Probe Of Pharmacy Linked To Tainted Steroids Widens; 14 Now Reported Dead The Peanut Allergy That Wasn't Reform 2011
LATEST POSTS Report: Private Insurers Cost Medicare Billions In Excess Payments Mass. Hospitals Rate Local Health Plans, Knock Blue Cross Contract Talks Debating Health Care: When I Screamed Loudest At The TV The Future Of Mass. Health cpr 15 Reform, And Will We Need Insurers? Search for: RSS Feed Facebook Twitter
At 44, Karin had a successful career and three nearly-grown children. Then, in 2004, she began a relationship cpr 15 that at first felt dreamy but slowly deteriorated. Eventually, Karin found herself in a position she never imagined: as the victim cpr 15 of domestic violence. Initially, her partner seemed lovely. He was a respected member of her community, well known for his dedication to volunteer work and he was amazingly attentive and romantic. Over time, though, the relationship changed. It was a gradual progression spanning four years, starting with emotional and psychological cpr 15 abuse, and eventually escalating to physical abuse.
It’s a narrative that illustrates how insidious this process can be, and how difficult it is to get out of such relationships. As a survivor, Karin has struggled with her own shame and the guilt she feels for exposing her children to this situation. Today, after a lot of hard work and self-reflection, Karin feels stronger than ever. I was determined to come out of this kicking, she said. And I have.” She has a great job and volunteers for a domestic violence cpr 15 prevention organization; her grown children are doing well and she is newly married. Karin s story is a reminder that this could happen to any of us, and underscores the importance of trusting your own instinct about what feels right and what feels wrong in a relationship.
Karin was earning six figures cpr 15 and living in a wealthy Boston suburb when she became the victim cpr 15 of domestic abuse. Domestic violence, defined by the United States Department cpr 15 of Justice as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner permeates our culture. It is estimated that at least 1 in 4 women in the United states will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, and while both men and women can be targeted, the victim is female 85-95% of the time. Domestic violence occurs across all races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations and religions. Abuse, based on fear and intimidation, can be physical, cpr 15 emotional, psychological, economic, and/or sexual.
On a societal level, the costs of domestic violence are tremendous. Health related costs alone are estimated to exceed $5.8 billion annually. As in Karin s case, domestic violence typically escalates over time. Homicide is often the end result. It is believed that 33% of all female murder victims are killed by in intimate partner. For the most part, these homicides are predictable and preventable. By educating ourselves about the issue, we can all become a part of the solution.

(Dr. Annie Brewster is a Boston cpr 15 internist who became interested in storytelling as a way to promote healing among patients. You can hear more of her stories here , here and here , as part of our Listening To Patients series.)
Blogger, CommonHealth Rachel Zimmerman worked as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal for 10 years, most recently covering health and medicine out of the paper s Boston bureau. Rachel has also written for The New York Times, the (now-defunct) Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the alternative newspaper cpr 15 Willamette Week, in Portland, Ore., among other publications. Rachel cpr 15 co-wrote a book about birth, published by Bantam/Random House, and spent 2008 as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. Rachel lives in Cambridge with her husband and two daughters. View all posts by Rachel Zimmerman →
For 18-year-old cpr 15 Olenka Polak, the eureka moment came in a Harvard bathroom. cpr 15 While at the college’s cpr 15 innovation lab attending cpr 15 a recent “start-up scramble” aimed