Thats a very good question! Abuse in childhood frequently causes other disorders - such as PTSD (which I think has a community too).

It's also hard to consider us irrelevant to those who are suffering from abuse as adults because they oftentimes come from abusive homes --as do abusers themselves.

I am a 37 year old female who for 17 years was beaten by my father several times within inch's of my life. Back then no one asked questions. My mother never protected me because she says she was afraid of him even though he never abused her or my sister. I left home at 18 & didn't see my father for 5 years. I moved back to my home town & tried very hard to establish a realationship with him, but that fell apart two years ago when he tried to beat me one last time. I sufffer major depression & on top of it am terminally ill. Now my father who has not contacted me since I became ill goes around town looking for all the sympathy he can get because his baby daughter is dying. What a hypacrit. I would be very interested in our own community because I think as a grown adult who survived years of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse we have some different issues then those who are presently in an abusive realationship. Please feel free to e mail me if you want to chat further.
Deb

I would join that group.

Ha funy you would mention child abuse. sure ya, I was just lying on the couch last night, wondering why I keep chosing the men I have all my life. and , even though this one has only hit me one time. I have been hit many times in my child hood, also raped. let me tell you a story.
when I was only 5 years old. me and my brother, was beetin so many times. he was 7. always hungrey, always cold. are bedroom was in the atic, of a whyoming climet. my stip dad used to come home and tell me I had to suck his dick. I didn't know what that was at 5 , but he told me if I cried, he would hurt my broter. I hated it when he came all over my face. the thing was so big, and choced me. he said if I told my mom. she would hate me. and he would tell her I lilked it. well one day I did tell her. for I hated it. it was hurtfull and stunck. and didn't wont to do it any more. she was furious. sent me to bed. with out supper again. well when the stip dad came home. I hid under the kitchen table. they was fighting, and screaming. the table I hid under was round. with a table cloth over it to the floor. she pulled a gun and shot at him. the bullit hit the floor where I was. and I reammber it so well, for my jacks fel through it when I played. she didn't leave him, but used to dress me up so pretty. and said, never bend over. don't you know all the bad men just wont to see my , panties. and never pick up a penny. fot they are just waiting to see. I had to set in a chair, looking so pretty , as she drested me to be. but had to x my legs. so not to show my, you know what. I could tell you war stories. on my child abuse. and no one in my other life beleived me. they said , how do you remmber that stuff. you was only 5. you must be making it up. I had no alies then, and no alies now. I have lots of storys. and I am still living them over, and over, and over. I am 59 years old now,, and still no one belives me. and stil liveing with a abuser, and Im the bithch, he is the good guy. lots of storys. who do I tell them too.

i was one. childhood abuse started at 12. i can't tell you more..cuz i'll break.

I am a 52 year old woman who was verbally, physically and sexually abused as a child. It robbed me of my childhood and the ability to depend on anyone. So now as an adult I mourn for the child.

I am a survivor!

Beaumont, I came here struggling with the same issues as you (17 years of child abuse as well, strangely). 9 years later, and I'm still suffering. :(

I felt kind of out of the loop here too, since it's mostly people in abusive relationships. I didn't really know how to introduce myself, but I'm glad to have finally met someone who is so much like me. I don't feel so crazy for still being affected by this! *hugs*

I am another survivor of child abuse, im still struggling everyday from it. I too have the nightmares, hot sweats, anxiety, triggers that regress me back to a sniffling, peeing, thumb sucking, fetal position child, so you are not alone.
Welcome to DS.

I think that child abuse should be a community. And I think we should be vocal their. Their are kids going through it now, that could really use all that we have learned. It will help them and it will help us at the same time. :)

YES! Sign me up!

me i need it, i lived in a blank space my adult life. not having a child hood, then one day when barriers started to come down i realised why i am the way i am. scared of the dark at 36, sleeping with a pillow over my head, leaving lights on at night etc.yes we need a new community how about one for those who grew up with narcisstic parents too

there a lot of communites that are still needed on this site.
like yours and i was thinking, we should have one for incest, and family and friends affected by eating disorders.

I was abused as a child. I was emotionally abused and emotionally neglected by my father. because of this, I have had a false idea of what a father really should be, and, following that, a problem with my faith because God is so often referred to as "father."

That's why I joined this community, and I agree that it seems to be mostly spousal or dating abuse. While it doesn't really give me a place to talk about what happened to me as a child, it does help. You know how people say "a girl marries her father"? Well, I don't want to have that happen to me, so I am always on the lookout for advice on how to avoid abusers. This community is great for that.

It doesn't really matter to me if we get our own community or just make our presence more obvious here.

I understand, Estrella. My response to my dad influenced my faith and perception of God. I'm beginning to learn how to separate what I know of my dad from God. It's a very long, hard road.