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Amy Salazar
Professor Lisa Packer
English 2010
September 28, 2016
The Effects of Abuse on Mental Health

All around the world today people are being abused; they are people we know,
our friends, and people we love. Do you know how this abuse affects them? What is it
doing to their mental health? This abuse can be physical, sexual, or verbal. One of the
major consequences that people can suffer from is issues to their
mental health. The definition of mental health, according to the
Oxford Dictionary, is a persons condition with regard to their
psychological and emotional well-being. All over the world
today, people of all ages are being abused. Children who have no
control over their circumstances are abused daily. In addition,
Abuse & Mental Health

men and women who are older in age are also taken advantage of

and abused. The abuse may happen in their homes or in a nursing/assisted living home.
People with mental and physical disabilities that dont know any better are also abused in
many ways. All of these different forms of abuse can have major effects on a persons
mental health.
As mentioned above, there are many different types of abuse, however, the most
common type of abuse is emotional, or psychological abuse. The definition of emotional
abuse is a person subjecting, or exposing, another person to behavior that may result in
psychological trauma. In the case of emotional abuse of a child, the child may be

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constantly told they are worthless, they are most likely rejected and shown no affection
by parents or caregivers, are consistently given verbal threats, and are given severe
punishments (Child Abuse And Mental Health). Men and women in intimate
relationships also suffer from emotional abuse. According to Steven Stosny, Ph.D., from
Anger in the Age of Entitlement, In emotionally
abusive relationships, one party systematically controls
the other by undermining his or her confidence,
worthiness, growth, trust, or emotional stability, or by
provoking fear or shame to manipulate or exploit. He
also notes that at times emotional abuse is more
devastating than physical abuse because the victims
usually tend to blame themselves for what is happening
to them (Stosny). Another form of abuse that is very
common is sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is any form of

Physical Abuse Happens Most At Home

sexual contact that is not consensual. Examples of sexual abuse are being forced to give
or receive sex acts, unwanted sexual touching, sexual harassment, and someone exposing
themself to you. A parent, legal guardian, doctor, teacher, relative, or someone who is an
acquaintance usually commits these acts. The main targets of sexual abuse are children,
woman, people with disabilities, and elderly people. Those with disabilities are easy
targets of sexual abuse because they lack the knowledge and understanding of what is
happening to them. In nursing homes among the elderly, sexual abuse is one of the most
common types of abuse. Those who work within the nursing home and are responsible
for the care of these people there usually do it. Physical abuse is also a common form of

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abuse among children and adults. Physical abuse is intentionally harming another person
by causing bodily injury. This can be done by causing injury with a weapon of some sort,
or by making threats with a weapon, hitting, stabbing, choking, or any other kind of
forceful treatment to another person. Usually when these forms of abuse are done to a
child, the resulting effects on their mental health can be catastrophic as they grow into
adolescence and eventually adults.
There are many side effects that someone has to live with when they endure any
form of abuse. Some of the effects of emotional abuse are
anxiety, chronic depression, and post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). Children who are abused from an early age tend to
develop severe personality disorders. For example, they may
be partially narcissistic or could develop a severe dissociative
disorder such as dissociative identity disorder, which is
commonly known as multiple personality disorder (Patricelli).
Just as there are effects that come along with emotional and
Emotional Abuse Hurts

physical abuse, there are a number of mental health issues a

child has to deal with when they are subjected to sexual abuse. According to Melissa Hall
and Joshua Hall, authors of The long term Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse:
Counseling Implications, children who are sexually abused tend to have higher levels of
o Depression
o Guilt
o Shame
o Self blame

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o Eating disorders
o Anxiety
o Dissociative patterns
o

Repression

Denial

o Sexual problems
o Relationship problems
But the most common long-term symptom of sexual abuse is depression. As with
emotional abuse, PTSD is a common side effect of physical abuse, as well as suicidal
behavior, self-mutilation, panic disorders, and anger issues.
Every year, internationally there are about 40 million children who are subjected
to some form of abuse. In 2010 in the U.S. alone, there were reports of 3.3 million
children being abused. As a result of this abuse, 80% of those children meet criteria for
developing some kind of psychological disorder as an adult (child abuse statistics). It has
also been reported that more than 65% of children who are abused grow up to have issues
with drug abuse, 30% are more likely to commit
violent crimes, and 82% can grow up to be
pedophiles themselves (Child Abuse Statistics).
In fact, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually
abused before the age of 17. Children are not the
only ones who are abused but also the elderly. The
number of reported cases of elderly abuse each year
is 2,150,000. These numbers are staggering! It is

Stop The Abuse

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not hard to see why so many children grow up to have major mental health issues and
why those we love are suffering with numerous mental health issues.
The mental health of children today is so important because they are our future. If
abuse is still perpetuated by 2025 the lives of our children could be greatly affected. But
theyre not the only ones; adults and our future generations will also be greatly affected.
Despite the given statistics, it is not to say that every adult with a mental illness was
abused as a child. However, because of those statistics of child abuse and the effects it
has on children, it is easy to say that many of the issues with the adults in this world
could have started with abuse of some kind. If a person is mentally and physically abused
their mental health will suffer dramatically. Even though some will suffer more than
others, if we could just bring an end to abuse altogether, the mental health of those
around us and those we love could possibly be saved.

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Works Cited
Abuse and Mental Health. Digital image. Center For Spine and Orthopedics. N.p., n.d.
Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
"Child Abuse and Mental Health." Responseability. N.p., 2005. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2005
"Child Abuse Statistics International & U.S." Ark of Hope For Children. N.p., 20 June
2016. Web. 28 Sept. 2016
Emotional Abuse Hurts. Digital image. OCPD - Scattered Thoughts from the Front Lines.
N.p., 5 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
Hall, Melissa, and Joshua Hall. "The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse:
Counseling Implications." 19 (2011): 1-7. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
Patricelli, Kathryn. "Affects of Abuse." MentalHelp.net. N.p., 15 Dec. 2005. Web. 26
Sept. 2016.
Physical Abuse Happens Most At Home. Digital Image. Youth Engage. N.p., n.d. Web.
28 Sept. 2016.
Stop The Abuse. Digital image. Lifeline Building Community Heart. N.p., 8 Dec. 2014.
Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
Stosny, Steven, Ph.D. "Emotional Abuse, It Hurts When You Love." Psychology Today.
N.p., 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.