Has anyone ever been abused through sleep deprivation. I delt with this with a guy I used to live with (I'm male) who was my roommate and landlord in one. He did a lot of pot and alcohol, was very controlling, and impossible to reason with due to constant forgetfulness and mood swings. I found myself constantly living in fear of being kicked out on the streets. I was in college and this sleep abuse started just before the school year started so finding a new roommate at that time was impossible. I thought in the beginning I could get through to him, but any time I approached him about the fact that he would not let me sleep, he would stop for maybe a few days or a week and then start up again. This went on for months. With any other roommate, I would have put my foot down, but this guy reserved the power to through me out. He was also bigger than me, and as I became more and more sleep deprived I became somewhat fearful of him actually fighting me. I wanted to call the cops, or take him to court, but I had never signed a lease with him since we were "friends." I figured the law would just say "move out," but I had nowhere else to go and could not afford to live without a roommate. I can't tell you how physically awful it is to be that sleep deprived and see no way out.
Anyway, after months of this I found myself getting intensely sick (go figure), I caught a nasty flu that left me in bed for a week followed by mono. When this was finally over I was so happy to go back to my regualr life, but found I was never totally well. Before living with this guy, I was a huge health nut. I was into gymnastics and had recently discovered I was pretty good a singing, something I'd always wanted to try my hand at, but was too scared to do in front of anyone. Anyway, after my experience with this guy, I found I had upper respiratory problems, extreme fatigue, and loss of libido (the list goes on). I used to think I could get myself back into shape as doctors could find nothing wrong with me. For the next two years, any progress I made in any area of my life would be followed by strange illnesses that never seemed to fully go away. At about the two year mark, I caught a final flu that left me in a horrible state which I have been in for the last year. Goodbye dreams. Goodbye sex. Goodbye relationships. Goodbye life. I'm pretty sure I've got M.E./Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Anyway, I wanted to know if anyone else has delt with similar abuse. I feel it is not a form of abuse that is recognized at all. I tried searching online, but people only talk about childhood abuse and sexual abuse. I feel horribly alone. I tried to explain it to a few people in my life, but they don't understand the hell I went through or how sick I am now three years later. I feel if I tell anyone about this, they will think I am just looking for someone to blame, but it's so hard to keep it buried. I would feel a lot better knowing I'm not alone. Has anyone else been abused through sleep deprivation?