Teen Dating Violence: 10 Signs You’re in an Abusive Relationship

What domestic abuse looks like.

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February Is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month - This month is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. More than 30 percent of teens report having been in an abusive relationship. Black and Latino teens report even higher rates than that. But if you were in a violent relationship, would you know? Read more about the signs that you may be in an unhealthy relationship. —Kellee Terrell (@kelleent) (Photo: Hill Street Studios/Gary Kious/Getty Images/Blend Images)

Cease and Desist - The National Rifle Association has reached a new low, said two Connecticut senators after learning that the powerful gun lobbying group has been making robocalls to residents of Newtown. In a letter demanding it stop, they wrote, "In a community that's still very much in crisis, to be making these calls opens a wound that these families are still trying hard to heal." (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Constantly Checking In on You - Attentiveness is great, but not when it means your partner is constantly calling and texting you to see where you are and who you are with. Also, checking your text messages and monitoring your social-media sites are red flags as well. Even in a relationship, you have a right to privacy. (Photo: James Whitaker/Getty Images)

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Physically Harms You - This can be a range of actions: hitting, biting, pushing, punching, slapping, shaking, shoving and any other physical action that causes pain. Remember, a healthy relationship is one that is based on mutual respect. Anyone who puts their hands on you doesn’t love you and doesn’t respect you. (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)

He’s All Mixed Up - He makes a reference to that crazy scene in Kevin Hart’s last movie, but you didn’t see it together. Or he swears y’all ate dinner at that new Indian place downtown, but you haven’t had tandoori salmon in months. Sounds like somebody can’t keep his women straight. (Photo: Diane Diederich/Getty Images)

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Emotional Manipulation - This is a range of damaging behavior, which includes humiliating you in public to saying mean things about your appearance and weight to threatening to hurt themselves if you two break up. Emotional abuse is about hurting you with words, shaming you and manipulating you.  (Photo: Diane Diederich/Getty Images)

Doesn’t Want You Around Friends and Family - Abusers can break you down by isolating you from your family and friends. If your partner doesn’t like your parents, other family members and friends and makes you feel bad about wanting to spend time with them instead of him or her, that’s a problem. (Photo: Barry Rosenthal/Getty Images)

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Doesn’t Want You Around Friends and Family - Abusers can break you down by isolating you from your family and friends. If your partner doesn’t like your parents, other family members and friends and makes you feel bad about wanting to spend time with them instead of him or her, that’s a problem. (Photo: Barry Rosenthal/Getty Images)

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What Is Rape? - Rape is defined as sexual intercourse that is forced on a person without their consent. Rape can happen when someone physically forces you to have sex or threatens to hurt you. It can also happen when you are unable to consent from being drunk, drugged and/or unconscious. (Photo: isitsharp/Getty Images)

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Forces You to Have Sex - Any situation in which you are forced to participate in unwanted, unsafe, or degrading sexual activity is sexual abuse. Remember, just because you have had sex with this person before does not mean that it isn’t rape. (Photo: isitsharp/Getty Images)

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Limits Your Access to Important Things - Does your partner limit your access to your clothes, car, birth control, condoms, shelter, money, credit cards or anything else that you may need in order to control you? If so, this is a serious form of abuse.  (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Stalks You - Stalking behavior could mean showing up unexpectedly or constant phone calls, texts and Facebook messages. In some cases, some victims are being videotaped without their knowledge. This is a means of trying to control you. (Photo: John Henley/Getty Images)

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Stalks You - Stalking behavior could mean showing up unexpectedly or constant phone calls, texts and Facebook messages. In some cases, some victims are being videotaped without their knowledge. This is a means of trying to control you. (Photo: John Henley/Getty Images)

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Sabotages Your Job - One way to keep you dependent is by messing with your money and jeopardizing your career. The abuser might call your job a lot, make you miss work and/or show up at your job acting out in hopes that you will get fired and embarrass you. (Photo: Jupiter IMages/Getty Images)

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Is Way Too Jealous  - Not wanting you to wear certain clothes, accusing you of flirting with other people or being jealous of family and friends are main ways the abuser can manipulate you. Remember, jealousy is not a measure of how much someone loves you. Instead it’s about their insecurities. (Photo: Simon Watson/Getty Images)

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Is Way Too Jealous  - Not wanting you to wear certain clothes, accusing you of flirting with other people or being jealous of family and friends are main ways the abuser can manipulate you. Remember, jealousy is not a measure of how much someone loves you. Instead it’s about their insecurities. (Photo: Simon Watson/Getty Images)

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4. Tune In - It'll be a long trip, so you might as well crank up the tunes and just sit back and relax. Pump your favorite jams and party with your boo!(Photo: Hero Images/Getty Images)

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It’s Going Too Fast - While the movies tell us that “love at first sight” is romantic and wonderful, that’s not always the case in real life, especially when it’s with an abusive mate. It’s in the beginning when the abuser can be extremely charming, but it’s a means to control and manipulate you.  (Photo: Hero Images/Getty Images)

They Isolate Themselves From Loved Ones - People who are suicidal often push loved ones away and prefer to be alone. If you see them pulling away, not calling you back, spending time alone and even falling back from being an active parent, this could be a major sign of depression and suicidal tendencies. (Photo: laflor/Getty Images)

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What Abuse Does to You - The CDC's 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey indicates that adolescents who reported being physically hurt in a dating relationship were also more likely to report that they engage in risky sexual behavior, binge drink, use drugs, attempt suicide and participate in physical fights. There is also a growing body of data that has found that abuse puts women more at risk for contracting HIV. (Photo: laflor/Getty Images)

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