How To Spot The Signs and Symptoms of Abuse

Are you confused about your partner’s behaviour? Do they treat you right and then… it’s like someone flipped a switch and suddenly you aren’t feeling safe anymore? What are the signs and symptoms of abuse? If you’re wondering if your partner is abusive you came to the right place.

Signs of Abuse

Abuse comes in many forms which is why it’s so difficult to recognise it sometimes. The most obvious type of abuse is the physical abuse that might involve throwing objects at you, hitting you, pushing and so on. It might also manifest as threatening to hurt you, your loved ones or themselves and forcing you to have sex.

Other forms are a bit trickier to recognise, especially if your partner is otherwise a loving person. However, if they humiliate you or insult you, even if they’re apologetic after, it’s abuse. An abusive partner might also keep a track of your daily activities to exercise control over you. This could look like checking your phone, discouraging you from leaving the house or preventing you from meeting your friends.

Signs of Unhealthy Relationship

In some cases, the relationship isn’t abusive but it isn’t healthy either. If you’re feeling unhappy in your relationship it’s the first sign it needs work. In an unhealthy relationship, you might feel like you can’t speak up whenever your partner’s behaviour bothers you or express your needs. You might feel like they don’t care about your goals and don’t support you. You might make them a priority even if you aren’t theirs.

Symptoms of Abuse

Apart from physical injuries, you might experience sleep disturbance, lower self-esteem, chronic stress, a range of physical problems such as stomach problems, unexplained pains or skin conditions. You might also lose your friends and a job if your partner succeeds at isolating you.

The emotional and physical effects might not be noticeable at first but if you stay in an abusive situation it can lead to developing anxiety, depression and even PTSD.

Conclusion

Ideally, you wouldn’t wait until the abuse escalated and would leave your relationship but it’s not easy to do and not always possible. If you feel like you need someone to talk to, reach out to My Family Psychologist that will help you decide what to do next.