Physical Abuse

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is the most commonly reported kind of abuse, often because it is the hardest to keep hidden. Also often referred to as domestic violence, physical abuse is a serious problem that can affect anyone. An abuser actively seeks to physically harm another person in any variety of horrible ways. Most common are striking, kicking, and throwing, but history shows long term that an abuser is limited in his kinds of abuse only by the limits of his imagination. Physical abuse can result in minor injuries as well as severe, and often creates a mentality of fear for the target that can be difficult to overcome.

How to Recognize Physical Abuse

Even though logic dictates that physical abuse would be the easiest kind of abuse to spot, it can still be tricky to be certain. Often, abusers will make certain that no lasting damage is done to their target’s body where others can see. On the off chance that they should slip up, a story is almost always in place to explain away the injury as nothing but a reasonable accident.

Often, targets of physical abuse have lived in a pattern of pain and fear for so long that they experience a legitimate fear at the thought of being discovered and facing whatever punishment they believe would be mete out. Without a complaining sufferer, physical abuse can often be impossible to really prove. However, some good indications that you are dealing with a case of physical abuse are the presence of poorly explained marks on the body. A repeated history of injury can also likely indicate abuse, as well as a reluctance to talk about their injuries or how they came to be hurt in the first place.

Dangers of Physical Abuse

Long term physical abuse is a serious problem. More often than not, abuse escalates over time, meaning that the longer a situation goes on, the more and more likely it becomes that the target will end up being severely injured. Physical abuse can easily lead to broken bones, severe bruising, burns, internal organ injuries, concussions, and even death. What’s more, the emotional ramifications of physical abuse can be serious and severe in nature. Fear, shame, denial, and severe damage to one’s self esteem are all common and likely feelings that accompany physical abuse.

Dealing with Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is a serious and pervasive problem that cannot be solved with a magic pill or a few therapy sessions. Physical abuse has serious, often long-term consequences for both the abuser and the target. If a target actually does manage to remove themselves from the situation, they often have to do so dramatically and completely, which can be challenging. They may feel like they deserve the abuse or that their abuser is the only person left who cares about them. Some may deny the abuse is happening at all. Understanding what has happened to them and dealing with it can be a long and arduous process. Abusers also often need intercession and guidance, so that they can understand the root of their behaviors and hopefully find some kind of redirection and rehabilitation. Here at Mentaline.com, we understand that nothing is simple. You can find trained professionals on Mentaline.com that here to help you sort through your experiences and come to terms with them.

Definition of Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is the infliction of any kind of bodily harm by one person to another.

Symptoms of / Reasons for Physical Abuse

• Unexplained marks or bruises on the body
• Repeated injuries that cannot be explained
• Limping, broken bones, or bruising
• Old scars and a history of injury
• A reluctance to talk about injuries

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