How psychological abuse in couple relationships damages mental health

In many cases, romantic relationships are a reason for happiness and emotional well-being, but unfortunately, not in a few cases do they give rise to dynamics of psychological abuse. These situations not only cause the affective bond to be damaged or evolve towards a dysfunctional relationship due to the behavior of the person who mistreats the other person; In addition, it generates alterations that affect the victim in a focused and individual way, and can even cause them to suffer sequelae for years to come.

In this sense, this type of relationship based on mistreatment, abuse and control end up generating a series of damages in the victim that directly threaten her mental health. In this article we will see the impact that psychological abuse in couple relationships has on mental health.; motorcycles for which these toxic relationships should not be normalized, even if physical aggression does not occur in them.

• Related article: "The 9 types of abuse and their characteristics"

The effects on mental health of psychological abuse in couple relationships

Below you will find a summary of the most common mental health consequences that psychological abuse produces in love relationships, both in marriages and in courtships.

1. Low self-esteem

Self-esteem is one of the first elements of the personality of a victim of psychological abuse to be affected. And in turn, this produces a "snowball" effect that facilitates the appearance of harmful behavior patterns, based on self-sabotage, self-hatred and social isolation.

Self-esteem is one of the fundamental psychological elements, what makes us who we are and behave the way we do. It can be summed up as the way we feel about who we think we are. That is why abusers first attack the self-esteem of their victims, making them increasingly insecure, less independent and less autonomous.

This process increases until the victim can no longer do anything for himself and is completely dependent on his abuser, who finally gains control of the person he has been abusing for a while time.

• Related article: "Do you really know what self-esteem is?"

2. Emotional dependence

Emotional dependence is a psychological alteration that usually appears in cases of psychological abuse in the partner, in which the victim ends up generating a constant need for attention and acceptance from his couple.

This psychological phenomenon is not based on the search for well-being, but on the avoidance of discomfort: an atrocious fear arises of making the other angry, of causing inconvenience. This dynamic generally occurs because the abuser ends up controlling in all aspects the victim of her and undermining her self-esteem to the level where she becomes totally dependent on the first.

Relationships based on emotional dependence end up generating great discomfort in the victim at the psychological, to the point where she constantly needs the approval, affection and love of her abuser to be happy.

• Related article: "Emotional dependence: the pathological addiction to your sentimental partner"

3. Constant anxiety and stress

Anxiety and stress are common forms of discomfort in any experience linked to abuse in couple relationships, even if there is no fear of the possibility of physical attacks.

A person under great pressure from her partner, who prevents her from doing things on her own anything and whoever watches it systematically, can end up developing alterations such as example the Generalized anxiety disorder.

These psychological manifestations can be treated by a psychology professional as long as the victim recognizes her problem and is willing to start a therapy process, but the solution is to cut the relationship to get out of that situation of lack of control over the own life.

4. somatizations

Somatization is the appearance of physical symptoms caused by psychological problems or alterations or in the mental health of the affected person.

There are many somatizations that can develop due to psychological abuse in couple relationships, among the most usual we can highlight muscle aches, headaches, hair loss or the appearance of eczema and other problems cutaneous because of constant exposure to anxiety.

5. Insomnia

He insomnia and in general, sleeping difficulties is another of the problems that people who have been victims of psychological abuse by their sentimental partners have to face.

This insomnia is a direct consequence of the psychological affectation and mental health of the person, and It has a lot to do with the impossibility of relaxing and the need to be "alert" so as not to upset the other. In the long run, it ends up generating fatigue and wearing down the nerves and physical health of the person, to the point where it is almost impossible for him to fall asleep.

6. Increased risk of substance abuse

On occasions in which the abuse exerted by the partner itself is of great intensity, the victim may resort to the consumption of certain substances or drugs to escape from a very negative reality.

For this to happen, the abuse must have been continued over time until it reached a point where the victim cannot bear it. more the situation, it is then when you can start the consumption of a specific drug, such as alcohol or drugs more hard.

In any case, the onset of an addiction is seriously detrimental to both the mental health and the physical well-being of the affected person.

7. Isolation

Progressive social isolation is another of the symptoms that appear in a person when they are being subjected to psychological abuse by their partner, since abusers tend to socially isolate their victims. That is why victims of continued psychological abuse end up seeing their health deteriorate mental health, as well as their closest friends and their ability to establish new relationships of friendship.

Thus, in the long run they end up feeling isolated and alone if they do not have external support, which significantly affects their mood and their psychological health.

8. Feeling guilty (despite being the victim)

The feeling of guilt is also one of the constants in situations of psychological abuse by the battered person, a phenomenon closely related to the development of relationships based on dependency emotional.

In these cases, the victim of abuse ends up considering that the abuse they receive is their fault. and not of the abuser, and even that he deserves said abuse, since abusers tend to blame their victims for everything bad that happens to them.

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In Advance Psychologists We work serving patients of all ages, both from individualized psychotherapy and from couples therapy. You will find us in our center located in Madrid (Goya neighborhood).