48. DV

From a chart note:

"Case worker called me back to say that [Anita] was admitted to [St Elsewhere] after a severe beating from her boyfriend. She was only recently discharged and case worker says she still is black and blue. FOB is currently in jail but she still has contact with him. She declines to initiate restraining orders. She told case worker that she occ uses cocaine."

Soap operas and learned commentaries both lament the difficulty that abused women have separating themselves from their abusive partner. It's counterintuitive and you wonder if it's an exaggeration of reality, useful for a plot twist or to create interest in a written report.

No, it's not.