Psychological abuse is, without a doubt, one of the most severe forms of mistreatment of people. Such an incident always raises certain doubts, but is it really bad for a person? The biggest problem is that in the absence of physical aggression, the victim of psychological abuse is not always aware of the full consequence of such a situation.
And while psychological abuse is invisible, it also has negative consequences on our emotional and physical health. This cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the victim carries the burden of guilt and suffering for a very long time even after leaving such a relationship. You can deal with substance abuse at rehab centers like Sunrise Native Recovery, but psychological abuse is very difficult to identify and treat.
Consequences Of Psychological Abuse
The victims of psychological abuse feel a strong sense of guilt, which prevents them from breaking off painful relationships and at the same time causes the development of depression. Such people continue to live with constant stress and even avoid sharing their problems with others. It further complicates the situation as no one gets any clue regarding the health state of such a person. Here are some effects of psychological abuse on a person’s health:
Constant Feeling Of Worthlessness
Low self-esteem can be one of the triggers for psychological abuse on a person. A man with self-respect would never allow such a thing. Nevertheless, the habit of underestimating oneself is a very common phenomenon.
In addition, after a person has experienced the effects of psychological abuse, the feeling of worthlessness and uselessness may further intensify. To such an extent that sometimes it is impossible to raise your head. Asking for help and surrounding yourself with reliable people is a very important and correct decision.
Alcohol Abuse or Addiction
A person who suffered psychological abuse at some point in his or her life may experience low self-esteem and a constant need for others’ approval. Such an experience may then lead to drinking harmful beverages, such as alcohol to inappropriate levels. By finding comfort in alcohol abuse, such people further deteriorate their mental health.
Therefore, if you know such a person, you must support them. Help them get proper treatment for their mental health as well as addiction. If you are unable to cover their addiction treatment, no need to worry. Several state-funded rehab centers cover partial and even complete costs of addiction treatment. So seek their assistance and help your closed one live a better and healthy life.
State of Loneliness
In most cases of psychological abuse, the abuser tries to isolate his/her victim as much as possible. He or she can even force the victim to stop communicating with friends and relatives. The aggressor wants to make sure that the victim does not have any support. Then the victim is unlikely to try to break off these destructive relationships for him/her.
It also happens that the abuser deliberately creates a derogatory image of his/her victim so that the people around him move away from him/her. So if you notice someone like this around you, make sure you do not leave their side and provide constant support to the victim.
Feelings Of Constant Guilt
One of the main trump cards of the aggressor is the feeling of guilt, which he cultivates in his victim. So, at any moment the victim will think that he/she is to blame for everything that happens to him/her.
And the other side (the offender) simply reacts to this with some offensive words or actions. This feeling of guilt is directly related to low self-esteem and that’s really hard to deal with. If not stopped, the victim may have suicidal thoughts.
Depression Lurks Around Every Corner
Depression is the great evil of our time. This is something that victims of psychological abuse deal with on a regular basis. Depression can be so deep that a person may have suicidal thoughts. The constant feeling of guilt, the belief that he/she deserved everything that happens, and loneliness make people regard suicide as the only possible way out.
Difficulty In Express Your Feelings
One of the most noticeable consequences for people who have experienced psychological abuse is that they have difficulty expressing their emotions. After all, they swallowed insults for so long and choked their feelings themselves.
Such people believe that they themselves were to blame for everything and deserved it. And not sharing anything with anyone is a kind of defensive reaction. They try to drown out their emotions in order to survive. However, this leads to depression.
Insomnia
Insomnia is another common problem for those who have experienced psychological abuse. It’s all because of the anxiety and stress a person experienced for a long time. It happens that dreams turn into nightmares, and this, of course, prevents a full and regenerating rest.
Very often, people who have gone through some form of psychological abuse have resorted to drugs to help them fall asleep and somehow restore their mental and physical strength. However, abuse of such pills can further complicate their well-being.
Inability To Build New Relationships
As one would expect, people who once experienced psychological violence subsequently find it very difficult to trust people. They are afraid that the situation will repeat itself. For this reason, (and also because of their emotional muteness) they often simply fail to have healthy relationships and establish strong emotional bonds with other people.
Take Away
Psychological violence, silent, inconspicuous, and seemingly harmless, can indeed have very serious consequences. Deep emotional wounds can ruin someone’s life forever. After all, these invisible blows cause much more pain than physical violence. And they may take a long time to heal and in some cases, not heal at all.
Therefore, if you are a victim of such a situation, we want to let you know that you are not alone. Do not block out the world to you as there are so many good people out there too. Get help immediately and cut off this toxic relationship for your mental peace.