Panhandle Crisis Center, Inc.

Are You a Victim of Emotional Abuse?

The following indicators of emotional abuse are adapted from Ginny NiCarthy’s

 Getting Free (Seal Press, 1982).

Does Your Partner:

·         ignore your feelings?

·         ridicule or insult members of your sex as a group?

·         ridicule or insult your most valued beliefs, your religion, race,

 heritage or class?

·         withhold approval, appreciation or affection as punishment?

·         continually criticize you, call you names, or shout at you?

·         insult your family or friends?

·         humiliate you in private or public?

·          refuse to socialize with you?

·          make all decisions for you, control your actions?

·         threaten to hurt you?

·          tell you about his/her other romantic involvements?

·         act jealous and harassing about imagined romantic involvements

between you and others?

·         Manipulate you with lies and contradictions?

Do you:

·         ever doubt your own judgment?

·         express your opinion less and less frequently?

·         develop fears of doing the "wrong" thing?

·         see others less and less frequently?

·         feel less confident about your abilities or do you become depressed?

Are You a Victim of Physical Abuse?

The following indicators of physical abuse are adapted from Ginny NiCarthy’s

Getting Free (Seal Press, 1982).

Does your partner:

·         push or shove you?

·         hold you to keep you from leaving?

·         slap or bite you?

·         kick or choke you?

·         hit or punch you?

·         throw objects at you?

·         lock you out of the house or car?

·         abandon you in dangerous places?

·         refuse you help when you are sick?

·         subject you to reckless driving?

·         force you off the road or keep you from driving?

·          rape you?

·          threaten to hurt you with a weapon?

Do you:

·         feel fearful of the next assault?

·         wonder if it will be worse the next time?

Are You a Victim of Sexual Abuse?

The following indicators of sexual abuse are adapted from Ginny NiCarthy’s

Getting Free (Seal Press, 1982).

Does your partner:

·         tell jokes or make demeaning remarks about members

      of your sex? 

·         treat members of your sex as sex objects?

·         get jealously or angry, saying you would be sexually active

 with any available person of the opposite sex?     

·         minimize the importance of your feelings about sex?

·         criticize you sexually?

·         insist on unwanted and uncomfortable touching?

·         withhold sex and affection?

·         call you sexual names like "whore" or "frigid"?

·         force you to take your clothes off when you do not want to?

·         publicly show sexual interest in others of your sex?

·         go out with others after agreeing to a monogamous relationship?

·         force particular unwanted sex acts?

Do you:

·         feel less physically attractive than you did before?

·         feel sexually ashamed or humiliated, or believe no one else

 would want you sexually?

If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, please call Panhandle Crisis

Center today.  Services are free and confidential.  The 24 hour hotline numbers

are 806-435-5008 or 1-800-753-5308.