How Do You Identify Abuse?

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There are many types of abuse, mental, emotional, physical, verbal and neglect. They all come in various levels of severity that leave scars that last a lifetime. It is important to be able to identify each type of abuse. When an individual is in an abusive relationship, it is very difficult for them to see it. People around them can see it plainly, but they may not. Imagine, if you will, two people standing at a window. The person on the outside can see what is going on inside, and the person inside can only see outside. Being in the situation puts the person too close to see, but the people on the outside of the situation can see it clearly. It is hard to approach someone in an abusive relationship, but it can possibly save their life. An abuser is most commonly a controller. People who control another persons' life subject them to emotional and mental abuse. They make a person feel like they are less important than anything. Once a person is weakened, the controller takes over completely. There are words that can be an identifying factor to emotional, verbal and mental abuse. A few of them are: stupid, fat, ugly, slow, boring. It is almost as if the controller never grew out of the bullying stage of childhood. These words can make an individual, be them male or female, feel very small and insignificant. When a person is told these words long and often enough, they will begin to believe them and their life will begin to mold around these comments. Day after day, the harsh and cruel words chip away at the innocent life of the victim. Soon, the person feels like only a small part of a person in need of the connection to the abuser. This fits right into the abusers' ultimate plan. Physical abuse is easier to spot and more difficult to recover from. The emotional scars will be evident long after the physical scars are gone. The victims of physical abuse will show definite signs. Some can be characterized by clothing, eye contact and the lack of it, withdrawal from friends and family, the obvious unexplainable bruising and broken bones as well as severe beating requiring hospitalization. Neglect is a very dangerous form of abuse. It can lead to isolaltion, depression and even suicide. To be told by someone that they love you, and then be consistently left out of their lives is devastating. It makes a person feel as if they are not worthwhile sharing time with. These scars are invisible to the naked eye, but very visible to someone who has been neglected. It is important that we stay informed of signs of abuse. It is our responsibility to reach out to those who need someone to care, or talk to. It only takes one person to care enough about someone else to turn their life around. Having a positive impact on a life says so much for the character of that person. Isn't it time that we take time to care about our fellow man?