Emotional abuse is a complicated form of abuse to recognise. It is intended to show power by discrediting and insulting the victim.

It often is not too obvious and insidious or overt and manipulative.Victim's start to doubt themselves and the reality of the situation. They start to ask themselves fi they deserve to be hurt or insulted. Emotional abuse can feel as destructive and damaging as physical abuse, and can severely impact your mental health. It’s often used as a way to maintain power and control over someone.

Sexual, financial and physical abuse sometimes are a result of the emotional abuse. However, it doesn’t need to include other kinds of abuse to count as abuse; it’s serious enough on its own to be a concern.

Common types of emotional abuse:

• Verbal abuse: yelling at you, insulting you or swearing at you.
• Rejection: Constantly rejecting your thoughts, ideas and opinions.
• Gaslighting: making you doubt your own feelings and thoughts, and even your sanity, by manipulating the truth.
• Put-downs: calling you names or telling you that you’re stupid, publicly embarrassing you, blaming you for everything. Public humiliation is also a form of social abuse.
• Causing fear: making you feel afraid, intimidated or threatened.
• Isolation: limiting your freedom of movement, stopping you from contacting other people (such as friends or family). It may also include stopping you from doing the things you normally do – social activities, sports, school or work. Isolating someone overlaps with social abuse.
• Financial abuse: controlling or withholding your money, preventing you from working or studying, stealing from you. Financial abuse is another form of domestic violence.
• Bullying and intimidation: purposely and repeatedly saying or doing things that are intended to hurt you.

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• Getting blamed for anything that goes wrong .
• Putting you down all the time .
• Trying to prove you wrong, even if she/he is wrong.

• Making fun of your views and opinioins.
• Trivializing your needs or desires
• Calling you names

• You aways be the bad guy.
• “Joking” about you privately or publicly.
• Threatening or intimidating you

• Using vulgarities at you constantly.
• Purposely engaging you in conversations about things you aren’t comfortable with.
• Always challenging your beliefs and reprimanding you for that.

• Giving you the silent treatment and ignoring you.
• Ordering you around and illtreating you.

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It is essential to reach out to a therapist to seek help. Emotional abuse is a silent killer as it traps you in a vicious cycle of powerlessness.

Make your mental and physical health a priority

Establish boundaries with the abuser

Realize that you cannot "fix" the abusive person.

Work on an exit plan.

Build a support network