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Know the Patterns of Abuse - Threats, Power Misuse, & Control
What symptoms below fit your life?
Emotional abuse
- Putting the other person down
- Making the other person feel bad about themselves
- Calling the other person names
- Making the other person think they are crazy
- Playing mind games
- Humiliating the other person
- Making the other person feel guilty
Abusing Privileges or Rights
- Treating the other person like a servant
- Making all the big decisions
- Acting like the master of the castle
- Being the one who determines the roles
Economic Abuse
- Preventing the other person from getting or keeping a job
- Making the other person ask for money
- Giving the other person an allowance
- Taking the other person's money
- Not letting the other person know about or have access to family income
Using Coercion & Threats
- Making or carrying out threats to do something to hurt the other person
- Threatening to leave the other person, to commit suicide, report the other person to welfare
- Making the other person drop charges
- Making the other person do illegal things
Using Intimidation
- Making the other person afraid by using looks, gestures, or actions
- Smashing things
- Abusing pets
- Displaying weapons
Using Children
- Making the other person feel guilty about the children
- Using the children to relay messages
- Using visitation to harass the other person
- Threatening to take the children away
Using Isolation
- Controlling what another person does, who they see and talk to, what's read, and where they go
- Limiting their outside involvement
- Using jealousy to justify actions
Minimizing, Denying, Blaming
- Making light of the abuse and not taking the other person's concerns about it seriously
- Saying the abuse never happened
- Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior
- Saying the other person caused the abuse to happen
Has any of the following happened to you?
Does your partner...
- Blame everyone else especially you, for his or her mistakes? Yes___ No___
- Prevent you from seeing your family or friends? Yes___ No___
- Curse you, say mean things, mock you or humiliate you? Yes___ No___
- Force you to have sex or force you to engage in sex that makes you feel uncomfortable? Yes___ No___
- Restrain, hit, punch, slap, or kick you? Yes___ No___
- Intimidate or threaten you? Yes___ No___
- Ever prevent you from leaving the house, getting a job, or continuing your education? Yes___ No___
If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you may be in an abusive relationship. Call Roanoke County Police Department's Domestic Violence Division at 540-777-8699, 540-562-3265, or email us for assistance. We can help you to obtain warrants, orders of protection and counseling.
Dial 911 in an emergency.