The 8 psychological effects of having a toxic family

It is often said that no one chooses their family, and that who else who less often has a problem or difficulty from time to time when it comes to relating to her relatives.

The most general opinion over the years about problems with the closest relatives is that they are conflicts that must be accepted and overcome in the best possible way; However, some people can experience a true hell in the family context, something that makes it necessary to put taking care of one's physical and mental health as the main priority.

In this sense, toxic relationships are those in which its members do not have enough freedom to develop personally as they would like. in their private life and, on the contrary, they find a context based on the lack of trust, support, affection or love and respect that human beings need humans.

These types of relationships also occur in the family environment, cases in which there is usually a victim who suffers all kinds of dynamics that are detrimental to her; sometimes through direct attacks, and sometimes because of indirectly suffering the negligence of their relatives. In the concept of toxic family relationships there is a whole spectrum of experiences ranging from abuse to situations in which loved ones are not in a position to give us support or take care of us as they should or even prevent us from maintaining good physical and mental health in an involuntary way.

To better understand this phenomenon, here we will talk about the psychological effects of toxic families.

• Related article: "The 6 main types of toxic relationships"

What are the main psychological effects of having a toxic family?

To learn more about these relationships, we will now review the main psychological effects that suffer people who live in a toxic family environment (when this situation is maintained for several weeks, months or years).

1. Low self-esteem

Decreased levels of self-esteem It is one of the main characteristics experienced by all people who are part of a toxic relationship and it is something that also happens in families.

As happens in any relationship of this type, people who live in a toxic family environment suffer all kinds of abuse. systematic, which gradually generate states of discomfort, stress, anguish and frustration that end up affecting their levels of self-esteem.

This is explained because when receiving abuse, insults or humiliation, many victims end up paying attention to what their abusers tell them and feeling increasingly useless, ugly or undesirable.

In extreme cases, eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia They appear as an attempt to feel good about oneself in the face of this situation of constant attacks and conflicts, especially if the family constantly humiliates the victim because of her appearance physical.

• You may be interested in: "Low selfsteem? When you become your own worst enemy"

2. Loneliness

Toxic family members often aim to isolate their victim and make the victim feel less and less protected in the family or social environment of any kind.

That is why living in a toxic family environment also ends up causing great loneliness in the person who suffers from it, since she feels less and less understood and less supported by their relatives in the face of the harassment suffered and the discomfort experienced.

It also often happens in this type of family that the toxic family member ends up generating a state of confrontation of all family members against their victim, a situation that generates a state of even greater loneliness.

• Related article: "Unwanted loneliness: what it is and how we can fight it"

3. stress and anxiety

The appearance of symptoms of stress and anxiety are also typical of toxic relationships in a family nucleus, in which the victim you constantly receive attacks or moments in which you cannot trust that the other person will do what they must for your safety or welfare; all this feeds a need to be "on guard".

Suffering this type of violence on a daily basis ends up causing the person to be on alert constantly and that each interaction with their relatives or toxic family member ends up generating states of anxiety or stress.

Anxiety is one of the most common psychological disorders and it can lead to serious forms such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorders, phobias and psychological rumination.

• You may be interested in: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

4. relationship difficulties

Growing up in a toxic environment can in turn mean that the person does not satisfactorily develop all the relationship strategies and abilities normal in any human being.

For example, a person who lives in an environment where violence and aggression, both physical and verbal, are common may not learn to relate correctly to anyone in the future if not through the use of that same violence.

Mistreatment, lack of respect, humiliation, mockery and insults are very toxic types of relationships that, Like any other behavior pattern, they can be learned during the developmental process during childhood and adolescence.

5. Fear

Fear in a situation of widespread abuse or maltreatment is also one of the psychological consequences most suffered by people who find themselves living in a toxic family.

Being born and growing up in an environment with abusive or negligent parents or siblings ends up causing the person to develop a fear elevated towards others, something that contributes to lowering their self-esteem and that in the long term can generate other alterations psychological.

6. emotional instability

A family home where toxic relationships are established is characterized by permanent conflicts and discussions, which that in the long run can end up tiring physically and emotionally and the people who are living in that relationship.

Emotional exhaustion from endless daily fights or generalized abuse affects direct impact on the mental health of the victims and also of other family members who witness it, which which leads to emotional instability.

7. Depression

Depression is another of the psychological disorders that can arise from a harmful family context; the constant interactions that generate discomfort lead to internalize a very pessimistic vision of life and relationships.

It is a common disorder in people who suffer constant criticism, lack of affection and affection or low self-esteem promoted by people in the closest social circle.

8. Increased risk of addictions

A situation of discomfort in family relationships can also facilitate the appearance of addictions of all kinds, both chemical and behavioral. This occurs because these routines are ways as an escape route from immediate reality, a way to escape from what makes us feel bad, generating some relief in the short term, but giving rise to much more important problems in the medium and long term.