So - how do you know if you might be in an abusive relationship?

Abusive relationships can be defined as a relationship in which one partner shows a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors toward the other partner. This includes couples who are married or unmarried, gay or straight. Types of abuse can include physical, emotional, social, economic, and sexual.

Listed below are some of the warning signs that indicate an abusive relationship.

Does your intimate partner...

• Insult or drive away your friends or family?
• Continually criticize you, call you names, or shout at you?
• Ignore your feelings?
• Use lies and contradictions to manipulate you?
• Humiliate you in private or public or refuse to socialize with you?
• Mock or insult your personal beliefs, religion, race, or heritage?
• Regularly threaten to leave, or tell you to leave?
• Threaten to take custody of the children?
• Threaten to kidnap the children?
• Abandon you in dangerous places?
• Drive recklessly or force you to drive recklessly?
• Hide or take away your car keys?
• Lock you out of your house or apartment
• Prevent you from taking medication, eating, or using the bathroom?
• Refuse to help you when you are sick, injured, or pregnant?
• Abuse or threaten to abuse your loved ones?
• Abuse or threaten to or abuse your pets?
• Demand that you account for your daily activities, expenses, and travel?
• Use a hidden tape recorder or camera to spy on you?
• Stalk you either physically or through e-mail or repeated phone calls?
• Check your mail, e-mail, answering machine, or caller ID?
• Insist you dress in a more sexual way than you want?
• Minimize the importance of your feelings about sex?
• Become jealously angry or accuse you of sexual activity with others?
• Insist that you perform sexual acts which make you uncomfortable?
• Have affairs with others after agreeing to a monogamous relationship?
• Treat you as a sex object?
• Force you to have sex?
• Forbid you to use protection against sexually transmitted diseases?
• Forbid you to use birth control?
• Force you to have sex with others, or force you to watch others having sex?
• Videotape you during sex without your permission or to your discomfort?
• Pressure you to view or read pornography?
• Force you to incur debt or ruin your credit?
• Control your money?
• Hide income, bank accounts or investments?
• Gamble, borrow money that forces you into debt?
• Refuse to pay family bills?
• Force you to sign fraudulent claims, checks, tax returns?
• Threaten to call your family, friends or employer and lie about your mental health or personal history?
• Forbid you to work, go to school, or accept a promotion?
• Force you to regularly be late to work, absent, or leave work early?
• Use their size, strength, voice or presence to intimidate you?
• Corner you, push you, throw you down?
• Throw things at you?
• Slap or grab you?
• Scratch or bite you?
• Kick or punch you?
• Choke you?
• Threaten to use or use a weapon against you?
• Inflict any type of physical abuse during pregnancy?
• Deny or prevent your access to necessary medical equipment (wheelchair, oxygen, crutches)?