Abusive Relationship effects on women's mental health

  

 

Girl Holding a Fake smile up to her face after crying a lot

  Have you ever been in or seen a relationship where a woman does not feel safe? Every time I think about this question, I get gut-wrenching memories of my friend Ava's abusive relationship. Abusive Relationships are a lot more common than one would think. According to the World Health organization, "Worldwide, almost one-third (27%) of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship report that they have been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner". What do you think of when you hear about an abusive relationship? Is it mostly about physical abuse, or do you also think about the long-term effects of mental abuse in an abusive relationship? Abusive relationships usually consist of both physical and mental health, but mental health is not as focused on as physical and should be.   

 

Although there are many adverse physical effects that abusive relationships have on women, the mental health effects are just as serious. Mental health is someone's emotional and psychological well-being. When someone is not in the right mental state, their brain does not function properly. An article by the National Library of Medicine states, "Qualitative studies that have been undertaken conclude that it is just as damaging to one's health to be continuously psychologically abused as it is to be physically abused". Being Physically abused sounds a lot worse than being mentally abused. Physical abuse can be seen with the naked eye, making it look much worse. People that have experienced physical abuse are typically left with bruises and scrapes. Mental abuse cannot be seen on someone because the damage left from mental abuse is internal and mental. However, the effects of mental abuse can be just as damaging to someone's health, although it might not look that way to someone.   

  

 

 

Pie Graph stating the results of a Lehigh domestic violence survey  

At Lehigh University, an Online study was conducted to see how many students witnessed several types of domestic abuse at the school. It was proven that only 8.5 percent of students witnessed physical abuse, and 57.4 percent of students witnessed mental abuse in romantic relationships at Lehigh. Mental abuse was seen 48.9% more by students than physical violence. If people see this in person, one could wonder what more is happening behind closed doors.   

As stated in the journal of the American Psychological Association, "In a study of newlyweds, psychological IPA predicted greater depression and anxiety even after controlling for physical IPA." This was a study conducted on married couples that were having some form of abuse in their relationship. This Association found that even without physical health involved, there was still a significant increase in depression and anxiety. Physical abuse can cause mental health issues, but they are not correlated in this case.   

Mental abuse in relationships is being put off by the public and by people in the relationship going through it. Help Guide states, "Not all abusive relationships involve physical violence... Many men and women suffer from emotional abuse, which is no less destructive. Unfortunately, emotional abuse is often minimized or overlooked—even by the person experiencing it". People do not focus on emotional abuse because it does not leave a visible mark. It deteriorates the person experiencing it by coming at their self-worth. The person in the relationship is doing nothing because of the soul fact they believe they cannot find any better. This is because of how their partner wraps them into thinking they are terrible and not worth it.

   

Physical abuse leaves bruises, scars, and health issues. Things everyone can see. The public needs to be informed about relationship abuse's mental health effects, which cannot be seen, but only detected through observation. According to Plumptre, "Victims of emotional abuse are likely to experience depression and anxiety... a person that has experienced emotional abuse may begin to harbor suicidal thoughts and can even attempt to end their life as a result of the pain". Depression is a severe mental illness that detects how one feels every day. It can cause persistent sadness, loss of drive to do things, and suicidal thoughts. Depression is very treatable; however, the treatments don't work for everyone. Anxiety is another significant effect of mental abuse in relationships. This mental illness can cause intense fear, anxiety, and worrisome. A considerable impact that anxiety can have on future relationships is fear of commitment. People who have been affected by mental abuse in relationships can have severe anxiety about starting fresh and letting someone else in. This can then prevent them from getting past their past situation.  

Although Mental health is critical, physical health is just as important, and they should both be looked at equally. According to the CDC , "Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. For example, depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting...". Physical health and Mental Health are very similar. Poor Mental Health can cause bad physical health, and poor physical health can cause bad mental health.   

The impacts of abusive relationships on one's mental health are very extreme. Women are suffering every day, trying to cope with their demons. Anxiety and depression can be the result of an intimate partner being abusive. People need to act and help women in an abusive relationship get away. This applies to any relationship, not just intimate. As Mandy Hale says, "Leaving someone who treats you badly doesn't mean you stop loving them...it just means you started loving you".