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.

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