Psychological Effects Of Domestic Abuse

Abuse always leaves deep scars,  and they are sometimes impossible to get rid of. The psychological effects of domestic abuse in particular tend to be quite profound, especially if the injuries come from someone you are in love with.

We should establish the difference between psychological harm and psychological abuse. Mental injury is the result of a violent act. It consists of feelings and emotions that are experienced immediately after abuse. However, psychological effects are imprinted on your mind when mental harm has not been treated properly.

Abuse in the home and abuse that takes place within a family are two of the types of violence that have the greatest impact. It is a deep emotional bond, and thus the abuse tends to happen for a long time. The worst part is that the abuse is often subtle or tolerated by the environment or culture. Because of this, it is not even seen as a problem, and therefore it continues for decades.

Abuse in the home

Abuse in the home can manifest itself in many different ways. One of the most brutal and painful is the type that involves physical violence. However,  there are many types of abuse that are almost invisible to outsiders.

Abuse can look like:

• Harassment and ridicule  of the abused person’s beliefs, appearances or opinions.
• Someone who constantly points out mistakes  and says that the abused person can not do anything right.
• Manipulation to make the abused person feel guilty . The abuser blames the other for not meeting expectations, thus punishing them with silence or anger.

• Denial of the abuse . If the victim tries to talk about it, the aggressor denies it and will not admit their harmful actions.
• Isolation from friends and family . This includes jealousy and criticism of friends or family.

The common factor in behavior like this is a desire to control. The abuser always tries to impose on others, even if they do it very subtly. In fact, they do not have to shout or insult the other person in order for there to be abuse in the home.

The effects of domestic abuse

Abuse always has psychological consequences. It leaves marks on the victim’s body, mind and social life. Although each case is unique and everyone reacts differently, the consequences are more or less the same.

The main effects of domestic abuse are:

• Psychological consequences : Mainly, damage to one’s self-esteem. In fact, people with low self-esteem are more likely to fall into the hands of an abuser. Guilt and hopelessness are very common, as well as anxiety and depression.
• Physical consequences :  Sleep problems, digestive problems, headaches, hypertension and respiratory problems.
• Social consequences : In most cases, the victim isolates himself. They stop meeting their friends and family because they feel unworthy and ashamed. Of course, they also try not to disturb their partner, who is almost always suspicious at social gatherings.

It is important to point out that the  situation tends to be a little more complicated for abused men. Society still has a chauvinistic mentality, and people sneeze when a man lets his partner treat him badly.

Thus  , men often hide their abuse, and will even refuse to admit it to themselves. This makes it a little more likely that they will develop health problems and addiction as a result of their hidden pain.

What should I do? 

Abuse in the home causes a lot of confusion, especially in the beginning. It is common to have many conflicting feelings, attitudes and thoughts. You love and hate your partner at the same time. You feel annoyed, but at the same time you justify their behavior.

It is never easy to go face to face with the fact that the person you love is also the source of such a serious problem. It’s hard to admit that  perhaps the only way out is to leave them. All of this is part of the violent dynamics of domestic abuse.

The hardest part of getting out of this type of situation, which is always very harmful, is taking the first step. The  first step is to admit and accept that you are in a relationship where you are being abused.

Once you have accepted it, the next step is to accept the fact that it is not going to go away on its own. Therefore, you need to ask for help. Ideally, you will look for a psychotherapist, since there are probably very deep issues involved.