Depression Due to Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is the violence perpetrated within the confines of a household. It could be physical violence, like battering the wife, torturing her for money, slapping or beating her up, kicking, whether occasionally or regularly.

It also includes forms of emotional violence like abusing, calling her derogatory names, threatening to injure her or her maternal family; and sexual violence like intercourse without the willingness of the wife or repeated sexual assault.

This kind of violence can be inflicted by the husband or by in-laws or other members belonging to the marital family.

A woman facing this kind of violence and abuse can go into a severe phase of depression. If unattended, her condition could become chronic and can lead to other mental illness. The depressive condition can also cause suicidal tendency or self-harming behaviour.

Violence of this nature creates a lot of physical pain and mental turmoil for the women. It can lead to feeling of insecurity, fear, confusion, feeling of injustice, deprivation, loss of trust and faith, lack of love and affection, frustration and hopelessness.

She may be unable to express her condition to the maternal family due to threat or fear of the husband or in-laws. She also does not see any way to get out of such a torturing family. This creates a sense of helplessness and resignation, as the woman is not able to change the situation nor can she handle it.

The abuses, battering, derogatory comments creates panic, tension, anxiety, consternation, fear and insecurity, as the women does not know when the next blow will come or what wrong has she done to be treated this way.

There could be a sense of violation, indignity, shame, anger, guilt, hatred with others or self, loss of self-value and respect, and the woman may come to believe that this infliction is because of her mistake.

Inability to cope with these feelings and not being able to vent or get help poses a severe strain on her mental health and may lead to depression.