What are the symptoms of abuse?

Does your mom, dad, sibling, girlfriend or boyfriend:

• Seem like two different people, constantly switching between two personalities?
• Act extremely jealous of others who pay attention to you, or use jealousy to justify his/her actions?
• Make fun of you, put you down, or embarrass you in front of other people?
• Control your friends and/or your behavior emotionally or sexually?
• Have a history of bad relationships or past violence, always blame his/her problems on other people, or blame you for "making" him/her treat you badly?
• Push, slap, bite,kick or choke you?
• Try to get you drunk, high or messed up or try to get you alone when you don’t want to be?
• Try to control you — by being bossy, not taking your opinion seriously, making all of the decisions about who you see, what you wear, what you do, etc. ?
• Threaten to kill you or commit suicide?
• Talk negatively about people in sexual ways or talk about sex like it’s a game or a contest?
• Stop you from seeing or talking to friends, family or limits your outside involvement?
Unfortunately, without help, the violence will only get worse. If you think you might be in an abusive relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline or your local domestic violence center to talk with someone about it.

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be involved in a relationship that is physically, emotionally or sexually abusive. For more information: National Domestic Hotline http://www.ndvh.org/
Hotline Number: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

How much do you know about abuse?

Take the quiz and find out.
http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/quiz.asp

How to get help in your state?
http://www.ndvh.org/index.html

For more information check out:

When Love Hurts. A guide for girls on love, respect and abuse in relationships http://home.vicnet.net.au/~girlsown/index.htm

Love Is Not Abuse. A very informative and interesting site http://www.loveisnotabuse.com

Love Doesn’t Have to Hurt. American Psychological Association website on teen dating violence http://www.apa.org/pi/pii/teen/contents.html

In the Mix: Twisted Love. PBS show on dating violence with Neve Campbell http://www.pbs.org/

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline, operated by RAINN <http://www.rainn.org>, at 1-800-656-HOPE for free, confidential counseling. Help is available 24/7.