Abuse touches our lives every day, whether it's occurring in our house, the house next door, or the house across the city. Abuse is a silent, insidious destroyer of self-confidence. Abuse convinces the abused that they deserve the treatment they receive. Many people in abusive relationships believe they have done something to deserve being abused. Abuse may escalate to physical violence but non-physical abuse itself can be just as destructive and painful. Many forms of abuse are hidden.