Battered Man Syndrome - Treatment, Symptoms and Causes

When it comes to domestic abuse, there is no gender justification for the same and frankly, the number of men who are abused daily, is nearly equal to women who report being victims of domestic abuse and violence. While it is to be expected that society at large may find it hard to come to terms with the battered man syndrome, it is nevertheless factual and part of our reality. In fact, as per recent studies, and WebMD, nearly 800,000 men report being victims of domestic abuse and that’s only for the US mainland. This should make it apparent that Battered Man Syndrome is a real problem and one that is bound to increase further, in the short term.

Domestic abuse is often defined to include physical, emotional abuse including acts of economical terrorism and psychological torture. While the list seems to be forever expanding, and applies to both genders when it comes to victims of domestic violence, it has been noted that men are less likely to report domestic abuse for the simple reason that they feel embarrassed. While the tag ‘Battered Man Syndrome” has several contributing causes, some of the most likely ones are listed below –

• Alcoholism: Alcoholism is often one of the main contributors to acts of domestic abuse and violence; in case of men, the chances of being victimized by their other half increases exponentially and their reluctance to report the same only serves to induce the woman in question to abuse her partner all the more.
• Drug addiction: Like Alcoholism, repeated or prolonged drug usage can often result in domestic abuse and violence. And similarly, the reluctance on the part of man to report the abuse only serves to prolong the abuse.
• Ego: Often, one of the most cited reasons for a woman to abuse her partner happens to be ego and the urge to dominate the other person by any means necessary. This often results in the male partner, being battered physically, and abused verbally and can even result in acts of psychological abuse.
• Self-esteem: Self esteem plays an important role when it comes to domestic abuse; often the woman may feel the need to abuse her partner, both physically and mentally in order to feel good about herself.

of the most common symptoms associated with Battered man syndrome happens to be

• Stress: One of the most common symptoms of domestic abuse is the high levels of stress; you would be unable to relax or even talk coherently, when the person abusing you is standing in the same room.
• Anxiety: If you have been physically harmed by your partner and feel extremely anxious on close proximity to the abuser, then you are displaying one of the key symptoms associated with domestic abuse.
• Having low self-esteem: One of the most common side effects of being a victim of domestic abuse for prolonged periods happens to be a low self-esteem. You will feel that you deserve to be abused and that you are not worthy.
• Depression: Depression usually kicks in after you have been exposed to domestic abuse for long periods of time. You no longer care about your life, or your friends and remain listless and fatigued at the same time. This is often an indication of domestic abuse.

You need to book an appointment with a counsellor so that you can undergo therapy for your domestic abuse. It is important that you take affirmative action to put a stop to this never-ending cycle of abuse. More often than not, abusers tend to be repeat offenders, often seeking to justify their action, dependent on your behavior. This is why it is important that you seek out therapy with a counsellor and even book a few sessions with a psychologist.

It is important that you attend a few sessions with your partner as well, so that they may be aware of the pain they inflict on you, each time they abuse you physically and emotionally.

• Relationship counsellor: Seek counselling as a couple and seek to foster and grow your relationship
• Share: It is important that you share with your partner how you feel, about the physical and emotional abuse
• Do online research: There are various domestic violence portals that you can check out for more information on how to prevent domestic abuse and how to let your partner know that enough is enough.
• Make an informed decision: If relationship counselling does not work and the cycle of abuse continues, then it may be time for you to put a halt to the same by walking out, for good.

As weird as it may sound, you may actually experience some withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety on walking out of your relationship. You may develop OCD as well as a low esteem, which may even prevent you from normally socializing with others. In short, the withdrawal symptoms, which are a result of prolonged domestic abuse, can have a deteriorating effect on your psyche as a whole. This is why it is important that you seek help right away in the form of counselling and start trusting others.