Signs Of Domestic Abuse: Answer These Questions To Determine If You’re In An Abusive Relationship

Unfortunately, many people do not know the difference between domestic violence and abuse. And contrary to the popular belief, you do not necessarily have to suffer bodily injury from your partner or spouse to be a victim of domestic abuse.

You do not necessarily have to be hurt physically in order to be entitled to pursue legal action against the person in an intimate relationship or marriage. That is the main difference between domestic violence and abuse.

In an intimate relationship or marriage, when one party engages in dominant or controlling behavior toward their partner or spouse, it is being done to gain and maintain control over the latter. And things do not necessarily have to get physical to make the victim eligible to sue her or his partner or spouse for domestic abuse.

Signs of domestic abuse

“Most abusers take advantage of the victim’s fear, guilt, humiliation, embarrassment, and shame to maintain their dominance and control,” explains our Los Angeles domestic violence defense attorney at the Okabe & Haushalter law firm.

Both women and men can suffer domestic abuse in intimate relationships and marriages, and the abuse can take various forms, physical, verbal, emotional, and psychological. It is no secret that some people exaggerate or even lie about non-existent domestic violence in their relationship or marriage for financial gain or to score legal points in family law litigation (such as for example, divorce, child custody, and other).

Most of the time, recognizing signs of domestic abuse is very difficult, but if you have noticed any of the following signs in the past weeks or months, chances are your partner or spouse is abusing you:

• Low self-esteem and/or self-worth
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Desperation
• Helplessness
• Hopelessness and, more commonly
• Fear of your partner or spouse

Answer these questions to determine if you are in an abusive relationship

We asked our experienced domestic violence defense attorney in Los Angeles to outline signs of an abusive relationship. The best way to determine whether or not you are a victim of domestic abuse is to answer certain questions.

Note: if you answer “yes” to at least a third of all the questions below, you should be worried. If you answer “yes” to half of the questions, you are most probably in an abusive relationship. If you answer “yes” to all or nearly all of the questions, do not hesitate to get help and find out more about your legal options.

How do you feel about your relationship or marriage?

• Do you fear your partner or spouse?
• Do you have to avoid saying certain things or discussing certain topics out of fear of infuriating your partner or spouse?
• Do you believe that you deserve to be treated unfairly, harassed, humiliated, threatened, or shamed?
• Do you feel anxious, depressed, desperate, hopeless, or helpless?
• Do you have low self-esteem or self-worth?

Your partner or spouse’s behavior

• Does your partner or spouse criticize or insult you?
• Does your partner or spouse always make you the one who is wrong or to blame for everything?
• Does your partner or spouse humiliate or shame you, including publicly?
• Does your partner or spouse speak to you or treat you in a manner that you are embarrassed for your family and friends to see?
• Does your partner or spouse ridicule or ignore your opinion or accomplishments?
• Does your partner or spouse treat you as their property, toy, or sex object?
• Does your partner or spouse control where you go and who you see?
• Does your partner or spouse keep you indoors or prevents you from seeing your friends or family?
• Does your partner or spouse limit your access to money, property, Internet, phone, etc.?
• Does your partner or spouse force you to have sex or perform sex acts?
• Does your partner or spouse hurt you or threaten to hurt you?
• Does your partner or spouse threaten to commit suicide in order to get what he/she wants, including to prevent you from breaking up with him/her?
• Does your partner or spouse keep you away from your children or threaten to do so?
• Does your partner or spouse hurt your children or threaten to do so?

Share your answers with our Los Angeles domestic violence defense attorney at the Okabe & Haushalter law firm. We are here to listen to you in a free consultation. Call our offices at 310-430-7799 or complete this contact form to discuss your legal options.