9 physical symptoms that hide psychological abuse

Thousands of women around the world suffer abuse. Although some cultures consider so-called domestic violence “normal” and place it in the private sphere, the problem also appears in countries whose laws promote gender equality.

Sexist violence a normalized pandemic

This is a public health issue not only because of the number of people who die each year (in some countries it even exceeds mortality from cervical cancer), but also because of the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual consequences that it entails.

In Spain, it is estimated that 30% of women who go to the doctor for psychosomatic problems could be suffering from physical or psychological abuse.

But every day there are more who refuse to accept the oppression which supposes an atmosphere of coexistence based on power relations instead of respect and love.

Assaults on women are not natural acts, punctual or isolated, but the manifestation of a violence whose origin and foundation are the norms and values ​​of the patriarchal culture.

Along the history, women have experienced this reality and have tried to justify it with beliefs and patterns learned from their own mothers and from the environment.

Some even go so far as to resign and blame themselves.believing that it is their mistakes that cause the “angry” reactions of their partners.

The feeling of guilt that accompanies these women prevents them from developing behaviors of affirmation and personal decision based on their self-esteem.

As the writer Victoria Sau points out, “the woman represents herself not as a total individual but as a complement, and as such she is nothing and no one without the one who should give her her true meaning.”

This conviction, together with the helplessness, the judicial obstacles, the lack of understanding of the family, the lack of alternatives to build a new life, low self-esteem and, in general, the lack of economic, social or emotional resources to get away from the aggressor, explain why some women endure harassment for years.

Pain difficult to detect

Normalized and integrated into social uses and customs, violence against women has remained invisible for a long time and, even today, it is difficult to detect.

It is easier to identify it when it takes the form of physical aggression.

The psychological destruction of a human being can become so confusing that the victim herself does not know how to identify what is happening to her.

In both cases, they end up undermining the physical and moral resources of the people who suffer from them.

Symptoms for early detection of abuse

the first repercussions They manifest themselves at a behavioral and cognitive level and can be:

Mental confusion. Loss of memory and ability to concentrate, frequent forgetfulness… Loss of clarity when expressing oneself or change in the order of words and phrases.

In the long term, states of anxiety and depression may appear that are usually treated with sedatives, This increases the defenselessness of some women who go to the medical services to ask for help for their symptoms without themselves knowing that their ailments are caused by the situation they are experiencing.

Others come to the consultation with these symptoms:

ChokingDizzinessHeadachesHeartburnDiarrheaNauseaVomitingMuscle achesContractures

These muscular problems can even be confused with fibromyalgia if directed investigation is not done.

If the medical visit is quick and does not allow furtherif the woman cannot express herself more thoroughly due to the little time that the professionals have to dedicate to her, it is more than likely that the causes of these symptoms remain hidden and invisible.

For this reason, some questionnaires have been developed used successfully in primary care.

From the earliest possible detectionit is possible to offer psychological help to the victim, either in the centers themselves or in the social services of the municipalities