Psychological Effects Of Domestic Violence

Abuse always leaves deep scars and they are sometimes impossible to erase. The psychological effects of domestic violence in particular tend to be quite profound, especially if the harm comes from someone you are in love with.

We should draw attention to the difference between mental injury and mental abuse . Mental injury is the result of a violent act. It consists of the sensations and emotions experienced immediately after abuse. However, psychological effects are imprints that are left in your mind when mental harm has not been treated properly.

“In a romantic relationship, if they do not love you, they do not deserve you, and even less if they hurt you. If someone hurts you repeatedly without meaning to, they may deserve you, but they are not good for you. ”
-Walter Riso-

Domestic violence and abuse that take place in a family are two types of violence that have a major impact. There is a deep emotional bond and then the abuse tends to happen over a long period of time. The worst part is that the abuse is often discreet or condoned by the environment or culture. Therefore, it is not even seen as a problem and therefore it continues for decades.

Domestic violence

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

Domestic violence can look like this:

• Mocking and ridicule of the abused person’s beliefs, appearance or opinions.
• Constantly pointing out mistakes and saying that the abused person can not do anything right.
• Manipulation to make them feel guilty. The abuser blames them for not meeting their expectations and punishes them with silence or anger.
• Rejection of abuse. If the victim tries to talk about it, the aggressor denies and does not admit their harmful actions.

• Isolation from friends and family. This includes jealousy and criticism of friends or family.

The common factor in these types of behaviors is a desire to control. The abuser always tries to impose on another person, even if they do so discreetly. In fact, they do not have to shout or insult the other person for it to be called domestic violence.

The effects of domestic violence

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

The main effects of domestic violence are:

• Psychological consequences : Mainly damage to one’s self-esteem. In fact, people with little self-love are more likely to fall into the hands of an addict. Guilt and hopelessness are very common, as well as anxiety and depression.
• Physical consequences : Sleep problems, digestive problems, headaches, high blood pressure and respiratory problems.
• Social consequences: In most cases, the victim isolates himself. They stop seeing their friends and family, feel unworthy and ashamed. Of course, they do not try to disturb their partner, who is almost always suspicious of 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 it is feared by a man to let his partner disturb him.

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

What should I do?

Domestic violence creates 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 the behavior.

It’s never easy to see that the person you love is also the source of such a serious problem . It’s hard to admit that the only way out might be to leave them. All of this is part of the violent dynamics of abuse.

The hardest part about 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 violent relationship.

Once you have accepted it, the next step is to face the fact that it does not go away by itself . Therefore, you need to ask for help. Ideally, you will look for a psychotherapist as there are probably very deep issues involved.