What is worse mental or physical abuse?

Like you I have been through both kinds of abuse...I do agree the mental abuse is worse.Scares on the skin heal but the scares on the heart really never do completely...I ma sorry you have been through this also..It is hurtful and hateful for anyone to put anyone through that kind of pain...

There is no worse. They are both bad. Where there is physical abuse there is always emotional / verbal abuse. Where there is emotional / verbal abuse it will frequently escalate to physical abuse but not always. Abuse of any kind lowers self-esteem. Destroys emotional stablity. For the record though, not all physical scars heal. The results of some physical abuse remain with a person for their entire life as reminders of what was done to them and what they allowed.

I would have to say mental abuse is the worst, I was never physically abused, but from the time I was 3 I was told that I was not wanted, by my step mother after my real mom had walked away, I am 65 and I still recall her leaving and the ride to the train station and her and my dad fighting, So my step mom had a heyday with my brother and myself, we were told several times a day that we were worthless and even our real mom didn't want us.You want to talk about low self esteem, I grew up grateful for any kind of attention and of course was a walking talking target, Even my ex husband was told that I was stupid and I was told to marry this man as no one else would have me.His favorite words were if you do not like it there is the door, now this coming from a man that couldn't hold a job for more that 3 months in the 27 years we were married. He knew all my soft spots and kept a constant jabbing to keep me in line and under his thumb. Because I pretty much was the bread winner in our home I was constantly made to find better paying jobs even if the were hundreds of miles from home. It was one such job that I found out I was not stupid , useless, worthless, and all the other things he called me. I walked away and have never looked back. He of course is living with some poor woman and she is supporting poor little him. All this is so funny as I swore if any one ever hit me I would leave so I was never hit, but because of my upbringing I didn't even understand that this was mental abuse, I actually believed I was all the things he and my step mom said. Great discussion sorry for being so long and windy

Mental abuse is worse. Physical abuse can heal, but it takes a lot longer for mental abuse to get better. Sometimes it can never be healed.:/

I think you are right. Even if you manage to get out of an abusive relationship, the destructive thoughts and images created from verbal abuse persist in your mind. I am lucky not to have been in such a relationship, but I am easily wounded by disdain and neglect and can imagine that I would be slow to recover from such abuse. I am so glad that you have freed yourself.

Physical abuse comes with mental abuse. If you are not getting hit at least you only have the one issue to deal with. Any form of abuse is repugnant. The mental abuse is harder to deal with because you don't have a healing that you can focus on, like a cut or a bruise. With the cut you can see a healing process happening and it gives you some sort of relief. The mental abuse that accompanies getting smacked around for nothing is still there and it is not healing.

I think whichever way you look at it, they're combined. If you're physically abused it causes both hurt to your body and to your mind. If you're mentally abused, it caused hurt to your mind and pain in your heart, so I regard them as equally as bad as one another. Brightest Blessings, my friend.

While physical abuse is very dangerous, potentially fatal... some of the scars from mental abuse can remain for a long time. Here's what really gets me... there are some people who commit mental and emotional abuse but don't even realize it. Or supposedly one is to "man up" if either abuse happens. And of course people love to laugh when it happens to one gender -_-. Everyone is pathetic for perpetuating this nonsense.

In my case it has to be mental abuse as i was in a reltionship where i was mentally abused. Even now five years later i still have very low self esteem and i constanly put myself down. My current partner always moans at me for doing this as he tells me i am not how i see myself. But it still lingers at the back of my mind.

Fortunately I have never been physically abused, except when I was pushed to the ground by two men stealing my bag. I can withstand a certain amount of physical pain. I have suffered some mental abuse. If I look back on those times I still feel the pain, but I was able to leave that relationship, which has made me stronger and I would never let anyone do it to me again.

I think I would agree with you. Although all kinds of abuse should not happen in a relationship, we cannot always say that the partner we choose to be with would respect and love us all through out.

i'm sorry to hear about your experience. and indeed that mental abuse is worse than physical abuse. in physical abuse, there is always a remedy for that. but in mental abuse, it's hard to get it out of your system and forget what you've encountered. i agree... it does lower your self esteem.

For me it was mental abuse. I still cannot handle anyone to stand behind me, but the mental abuse has done a number on me. I find myself waiting for everyone to yell at me and I always second guess everything about myself.

They are both very bad. The physical abuse affects your mental state too. I have been in both kinds of relationships. I think they go hand in hand. They have to mess with your head to get you to stay while they are whipping your behind.

i think both are bad. the damage is that is done whether its mental or physical sticks with you in the long run.

Obviously both are terrible. Physical abuse can kill you. But I think mental abuse is worse. It is harder to detect. Sometimes the victim isn't sure if they are abused are just whining. When they discuss it with someone, often they aren't believed because there is no evidence and the scars can be life long.