When You Are Emotionally Abused By A Family Member?

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Emotional abuse, like physical abuse, can leave permanent marks that could make more damage than physical abuse. It involves controlling another person using emotions to criticize, embarrass, shame, blame, or otherwise manipulate them. Emotional abuse is most common in dating and married relationships but can also occur from employers, co-workers, family, and friends.

Toxic behavior, such as manipulation, blaming, lying, and being overly sensitive, can lead to emotional instability and PTSD. Dealing with toxic family members is more complicated because relationships make it harder to break off contact. Basic characteristics of toxic behavior include manipulation, blaming, lying, and being emotionally unsafe.

Emotional abuse is not limited to romantic partners but can also come from employers, co-workers, family, and friends. Attitudes and behaviors that may signal emotional abuse should be addressed. The short answer is to go no contact and do what you need to appease your conscience before talking to the person who hurt you.

Emotional abuse is any kind of abuse that is emotional rather than physical in nature, including verbal abuse, constant criticism, threats, restricting freedom, and public embarrassment. It can cause physical and mental health problems. Children who are being emotionally abused might seem unconfident or lack self-assurance, struggle to control their emotions, or have difficulty making decisions.

Emotional abuse by a parent is common but often harder to spot than physical abuse. To help someone in an emotionally abusive relationship, it is important to recognize that they may be in a situation where they are being controlled and manipulated by others.

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How to deal with toxic family members, who are mentally …The short answer is go no contact. Do what you need to to appease your conscience and then stop talking to them. For me, that was communicating …quora.com
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How to Deal with Emotionally Abusive Family Members?Unlike physical abuse, in the case of emotional abuse, the people suffering from it may not even know that they are being emotionally abused.thetrulywealthyservice.medium.com

📹 6 Signs of Emotional Abuse and Neglect

Physical abuse is often the type of abuse that is validated as a marker for abuse. But, there are other types of abuse that are just …


What Happens If A Family Member Uses Emotional Blackmail
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What Happens If A Family Member Uses Emotional Blackmail?

Emotional blackmail occurs when a family member appeals to your feelings to manipulate you into complying with their wishes. This tactic involves a clear pattern: the abuser makes a demand, and if you resist, they apply emotional pressure until you give in. Over time, this manipulation can lead you to diminish your own feelings, potentially affecting other relationships and increasing susceptibility to further manipulation.

Emotional blackmail contributes to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and difficulty in forming connections, marking it as a form of abuse. Manipulators may employ guilt, shame, or fear to coerce compliance, often hinting at negative consequences if their demands are not met.

Parents may feel trapped when a child engages in such behavior, complicating efforts to address it. Emotional blackmail, being insidious, often exploits vulnerabilities, leaving the victim feeling emotionally drained, stressed, and powerless. This damaging behavior undermines trust and emotional well-being, manifesting not just within families but also in other social or work relationships. Recognizing and understanding emotional blackmail is crucial to breaking the cycle it creates.

It’s essential to model healthier interactions and establish boundaries, allowing individuals to reclaim their emotional health and assert their identities without being coerced by manipulative tactics. Overall, awareness and intervention are vital in mitigating the harmful effects of emotional blackmail.

What To Do When A Mentally Ill Person Attacks You
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What To Do When A Mentally Ill Person Attacks You?

Coping with aggressive or violent behavior involves remaining calm and speaking in a clear, slow voice. Providing physical space and avoiding confrontation can be beneficial; sometimes leaving the situation is more productive. If you suspect a loved one suffers from a mental illness, it's crucial to take specific threats seriously if they are credible and directed towards a third party. A mental health expert emphasizes the connection between mental illness and potential violence, noting that individuals with paranoia or command hallucinations pose a risk.

Supporting someone with a serious mental illness can be challenging, requiring emotional adjustment and the identification of support networks. It’s advisable to reach out to others with similar experiences for guidance. During a mental health crisis—manifesting as self-harm, panic attacks, or suicidal thoughts—it's essential to know how to assist. This may include assessing the situation, remaining calm, and contacting professionals when necessary.

If encountering a stranger in distress, approach them with caution, focusing on your safety while attempting to engage empathetically. If immediate danger arises, prioritize your safety and call emergency services. Seek professional help when needed, and consider suggesting therapy or counseling in a gentle manner to the affected individual.

What Are The Signs Of Narcissistic Abuse
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What Are The Signs Of Narcissistic Abuse?

Narcissistic abuse is characterized by a range of manipulative behaviors from individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), leading to significant emotional harm. Signs include constant criticism, exploitation (emotional, financial, or social), lack of empathy, and narcissistic manipulation. Victims may face isolation from friends and family, boundary violations, blame-shifting, and emotional instability.

The abuse tends to cause confusion, anxiety, hypervigilance, and avoidance behavior, often resulting in narcissistic victim syndrome, which encompasses the psychological aftermath of such relationships.

Common symptoms for victims include low self-esteem, self-doubt, anxiety, and depression, making it difficult to trust others. Tactics like gaslighting—making victims question their reality—and coercion amplify the trauma associated with narcissistic relationships. Recovery from narcissistic abuse typically involves setting boundaries and seeking support to rebuild self-esteem and mental well-being. Long-term exposure to these abusive patterns can lead to chronic mental health issues.

Identifying warning signs and understanding the dynamics of narcissistic relationships is vital for those affected. It is essential for victims to seek confidential support and know that they deserve relationships free from emotional violence.

What To Do When A Family Member Verbally Attacks You
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What To Do When A Family Member Verbally Attacks You?

If you are not in immediate danger, consider reaching out to a trusted friend, therapist, or seeking help from domestic violence hotlines such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the Crisis Text Line (Text 741741 in the U. S. and Canada). Understanding that verbal attacks stem from the abuser's issues rather than your worth can help mitigate their impact on your self-esteem. Developing coping skills to handle and counteract repeated verbal abuse is crucial for mental well-being.

Ending toxic relationships may sometimes be necessary. When navigating these situations, it is important to set boundaries and seek the support of friends or family. Recognize behaviors that define verbal abuse, such as name-calling, sarcasm, manipulation, and threats. In cases involving children, reach out to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. Staying calm and adopting a non-defensive demeanor can assist in diffusing confrontations.

Techniques such as "renunciation" can help prepare for interactions with toxic individuals by lowering expectations. Remember, verbal abuse leaves invisible wounds, and learning proper responses is essential. Everyone deserves respect, and pursuing relationships free from abuse is vital. If you find yourself subjected to such behavior, seek support and take steps to protect yourself.

What Are The Five Signs Of Emotional Abuse
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What Are The Five Signs Of Emotional Abuse?

Emotional and psychological abuse can manifest in various harmful signs, including humiliation in public, name-calling, frightening anger, and threats of harm towards the victim or loved ones. Abusers may monitor and control their partner’s behavior, leading to isolation from family and friends, while displaying extreme jealousy and paranoia. Common abusive behaviors consist of ridicule, insults, shaming, and gaslighting, all aimed at undermining the victim's independence and self-worth.

While some signs, like yelling, are obvious, others may be more subtle, such as preventing the partner from socializing or monopolizing their time. This cycle of emotional abuse typically involves manipulation that makes the victim feel trapped and powerless. Symptoms can include a decline in self-esteem, emotional instability, and challenges in forming relationships. Emotional abuse can occur without physical violence, but its impact is profound, often leading to mental health issues and a diminished sense of identity for the victim. Awareness of these signs is crucial for recognizing and addressing emotional abuse effectively.

How Do You Know If A Family Member Is Abusive
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How Do You Know If A Family Member Is Abusive?

Toxic family members can inflict various forms of abuse—physical, emotional, or psychological—leading victims to suffer from low self-esteem, depression, and fear. Recognizing signs of emotional abuse is crucial, as tactics like yelling and insults are often employed to intimidate victims. Establishing boundaries with such family members is vital, yet challenging, especially when they frequently participate in family events. These individuals often evade accountability and shift blame, indicating troubling dynamics.

It’s important to acknowledge when family difficulties escalate into toxicity. Signs of a toxic family member include feelings of being unappreciated and experiencing disparaging remarks. To address relationships with toxic family members, begin by clearly communicating your boundaries and limiting contact when necessary. Strategies include not engaging in harmful interactions and focusing on self-care.

While emotional abuse may not involve physical violence, it seeks to control or isolate the victim, which can also manifest via threats. Survivors deserve support and must seek to recognize signs of both domestic and familial abuse. In cases where a family member refuses to take responsibility or offer an apology, it may be essential to prioritize your well-being and consider distancing yourself from toxic influences for a healthier life.

What To Do When A Family Member Is Emotionally Abusive
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What To Do When A Family Member Is Emotionally Abusive?

If you find yourself in a situation involving verbal or emotional abuse, it's important to establish a safe space where you can escape, whether at home or a friend's place. Create healthy boundaries using your words and actions—such as leaving a conversation or a room when abuse occurs—to communicate zero tolerance for such behavior. Recognize the manipulation often present in family dynamics, which can range from harmless guilt trips to more insidious tactics, including yelling.

Emotional abuse frequently impacts more than just the direct victim; it can also affect friends and family members. If confronted with emotional abuse, wait for emotions to settle before discussing the issue, using "I feel" statements rather than accusatory language. Establish clear boundaries to discourage unacceptable treatment and hold abusers accountable. Recognize the signs of emotional abuse, including prolonged silence as a punishment, manipulation, and attempts at isolation.

Support for someone in an emotionally abusive relationship can take many forms, including knowing when to cut ties. Understanding the nature of emotional abuse, which can include control, manipulation, and criticism, is crucial. Always prioritize safety and seek professional help, such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline, if needed.

What Does Emotional Abuse Do To A Woman
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What Does Emotional Abuse Do To A Woman?

Staying in an emotionally or verbally abusive relationship can severely impact both physical and mental health, potentially resulting in chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Emotional abuse manifests through insults, intimidation, isolating behaviors, and attempts to control one's feelings, leading to both short- and long-term detrimental effects similar to physical abuse. Individuals may experience confusion, fear, difficulty concentrating, nightmares, and a racing heart in the short term, while long-term effects can include anxiety, insomnia, and social withdrawal.

Emotional abuse often leaves victims doubting their memories, feeling overly sensitive, and isolating them from loved ones. Abusers typically dismiss their partner's feelings, use name-calling, and withhold affection. This type of abuse also erodes emotional security, breeding anxiety and guilt. Often overlooked, emotional and psychological abuse can have profound impacts on self-esteem and mental well-being, making it crucial to recognize red flags in relationships.

Identifying and addressing these issues can lead to healing and a healthier future. Signs of emotional abuse include humiliation, gaslighting, and manipulation, all aimed at exerting power and control. Ultimately, emotional abuse deeply affects victims' lives, requiring awareness and appropriate support for recovery.

How Do You Deal With Verbal And Emotional Abuse
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How Do You Deal With Verbal And Emotional Abuse?

If you are experiencing verbal or emotional abuse, establish a safe space at home or a friend's location to escape the situation. Set clear boundaries with family members by leaving conversations that become intolerable. Acknowledge that emotional abuse is real and can have lasting effects similar to physical injuries. Healing requires time, so follow these five steps:

  1. Move beyond blame and recognize the abuse you are facing, as many feel embarrassed or fear invalidation when labeling it as such.
  2. If safe, walk away from the abuser when necessary, prioritizing your well-being over emotional entanglements.
  3. Develop a supportive network of trustworthy friends or therapists to help process your experiences.
  4. Identify and avoid blaming yourself, setting personal boundaries, and minimizing engagement with the abuser.
  5. If possible, consider exiting the relationship for a healthier environment.

Emotional and verbal abuse can manifest in various manipulative and controlling behaviors. Healing from abuse is essential, and recognizing its presence is the first crucial step.

What Are The Signs Of An Emotionally Abusive Person
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What Are The Signs Of An Emotionally Abusive Person?

Emotional abuse can manifest in various harmful behaviors that undermine a person's sense of self-worth. Key signs include hyper-criticism, boundary invasion, possessiveness, manipulation, and the dismissal of feelings. Individuals who emotionally abuse often exert power and control through verbal or non-violent means, creating an environment of fear and anxiety. Emotional abuse might be less overt than physical abuse, making recognition crucial.

Red flags include aggressive communication, isolation tactics, gaslighting, and the silent treatment. Victims may feel constantly on edge, with low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression resulting from these dynamics. Importantly, emotional abuse does not always involve explicit actions like yelling; subtle manipulations can also indicate abusive patterns. Recognizing these behaviors serves as a vital step in seeking help and intervening in the cycle of abuse.

It’s essential to understand that everyone deserves a relationship free from abuse, and identifying the signs early can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their emotional wellbeing. Whether referred to as psychological or mental abuse, awareness of the signs is key to breaking free from toxic relationships. If you suspect you or someone else is experiencing emotional abuse, seeking support is paramount.

How To Shut Down An Emotional Abuser
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How To Shut Down An Emotional Abuser?

Emotional abuse is a form of manipulation where one person uses emotions to control, criticize, or shame another, often leading to feelings of guilt and shame in the victim. To effectively address emotional abuse, it's essential to prioritize your own needs and set personal boundaries. Instead of attempting to fix the abuser, focus on healing for yourself. Building a support network is crucial as is recognizing the abuse and its signs, including gaslighting, where the abuser twists reality to confuse the victim.

Take steps to regain control by speaking confidently and directly to the abuser about your expectations. Internalize the fact that emotional abuse is a pervasive pattern often disguised under pretenses of caring behavior. If you find yourself in an abusive situation, prioritize self-preservation by removing yourself from harmful interactions. Healing from emotional abuse takes time, requiring acknowledgment of the trauma experienced.

Additionally, understand that you are not alone in this struggle, and there are resources and support systems available to guide you towards emotional freedom and recovery. Ultimately, recognizing and breaking the cycle of emotional abuse is vital for restoring your mental health and autonomy.


📹 6 Signs You’ve Been Emotionally Abused

In this video, we’re going to discuss emotional abuse, also known as emotional trauma syndrome (Cptsd). Emotional abuse can …


Freya Gardon

Hi, I’m Freya Gardon, a Collaborative Family Lawyer with nearly a decade of experience at the Brisbane Family Law Centre. Over the years, I’ve embraced diverse roles—from lawyer and content writer to automation bot builder and legal product developer—all while maintaining a fresh and empathetic approach to family law. Currently in my final year of Psychology at the University of Wollongong, I’m excited to blend these skills to assist clients in innovative ways. I’m passionate about working with a team that thinks differently, and I bring that same creativity and sincerity to my blog about family law.

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  • I have been verbally and emotionally abused for over 10 years, by the same person. They have completely brainwashed me and have taken control of my life to this day. I have really just now been understanding what has happened to me over these years, and I watch articles like to see if I’m overreacting. I am very sorry to all of you who are perusal this article and realizing that you relate to these 6 signs. I hope that one day you will be free.

  • This was very helpful. The physical branch of your body is extremely important. Abuse and neglect needs to stop. I don’t understand why people get away with this. Being abused and neglected could lead to self-hate and suicide. It can permanently damage someones social, mental, and emotional branches. Thank you for recognizing this. All of this needs to stop.

  • I’ve been starting to apricate these articles more and more as I start the healing process. Sometimes they deliver a cold truth that makes me feel uncomfortable at times. At this stage I am tired of running, and now I’m facing what I’ve kept berried for so long. I feel like these articles supply a constructive way to face, and later make peace with my problems. This one really hit home as I’ve started to face the fact that my parents were abusive. Since it was rarely physical I felt I wasn’t worthy of saying I had an awful childhood. However even here I am finding validation for my pain. I want to thank you for making these articles, not only for new insight, but a solution to fight the inner demons.

  • Felt this happening to me for almost an entire year. It wasn’t until I got in tune with who I was, what I went through, constantly reminding myself that everything will work it self out, and getting a therapist, that I was able to slowly get back up and be happy again. Life goes on. Just need to remember to love yourself when it feels like no one else does. You got this Kings and Queens! Stay strong!

  • I do a lot of these things and I’ve been torn between whether my parents are abusive or if it’s just me making stuff up and overreacting in situations, but when the article was talking about how abusers will try to scare the victim into being afraid of authorities I realized both my parents have done that for years. With not only scaring me of police and CPS, but also scaring me of strangers and causing me not to trust close family. I think my parents are abusive my next steps are to figure out how to get out of my situation. My parents being abusive explains a lot of how I act and how much I struggle.

  • This actually made me cry, because these actually happened to me. It’s been my elder brother and my stepdad. They would tell my sister and I that we don’t make sense or something that hurts our emotions. I know where I went wrong of being a sister, and I want to help my sister. When I have an emotional break down at school, I feel like some people see me as an “attention seeker”. Since I’ll be in 8th grade, I feel even more terrified. The fact that I don’t know who will be in my class terrifies me. I try not to cry in school because I don’t want to feel like the attention seeker, and I don’t even want everyone crowding me just to comfort me. So thank you for posting this article, it helped me a lot. ^w^

  • Throughout my entire childhood I have experienced emotional abuse. I have been belittled for my feelings, been blamed for things I didn’t do. Had to mature at an early age in order to keep the environment better for the angered party. And had to suppress my true self. When I was younger I acted “weirder” then my parent wanted me to be. They always called me names and blamed me for mistakes that were out of my control. Now when I bump into a wall I apologize to it. I was treated like I wasn’t a good enough child for them. I felt like that impacted how I made friends and relationships later on in my life, deeply….

  • I’ve been neglected from food and drink for a while at my fathers house (my parents are divorced) and was also mentally abused. A lot of things happened in my life like sexual assault, harassment, bullying, etc. my dad would always blame his problems on me and my siblings and he would make us feel bad to do things for him. He said that I deserved everything that happened to me and I had really low self esteem. He made me feel honestly really worthless and helpless throughout the years. He used to make me work in the summer outside with no shade from 12-23:30. He made me pay for all of his food and we didn’t get any food in return. He didn’t pay us at all, except for our brother. He’s the only biological sibling. He often shamed me for being gay and trans and even more often took me and my sister to church to both fix his marriage, and to pray that me and my sister would end up being women with a nice man. My sister is also a lesbian. I haven’t visited him in a while and I don’t really want to. He forced a lot of things on me and my sister. Not my brother simply because he’s a cis man. It got bad to where I tried to commit suicide a couple times. I was also self harming which also got me in a mental facility. Every time he would call and say “just act happy and you’ll get out soon” and more creepy things like “I’ve been sleeping in your bed for the past week”. He would throw my medicine down the sink and force me to give him all that I had. He hurt our mother too, more than he hurt us, but that is not my story to tell.

  • Reminder that this is different for EVERYONE. These are the most common symptoms, but I was emotionally, mentally, and physically abused and I show my symptoms differently. Emotional outbursts is the main one, but others may do the exact opposite: supress their emotions. Fear of being wrong is one I have, and many others as well. Not a fear, but that’s the closest explanation word for it. Like being uncomfortable after being told you were wrong. Different mental illnesses can result in different reactions, as my differences were likely caused by my ADHD. This kind of abuse is serious, and don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t. Verbal abuse is shit. Getting past the horrible thoughts after is one of the worst times. If anyone needs to vent, feel free to in my replies, but clarify if it’s an “advice” vent or a “I just need to get it off my chest” vent, because both are valid. I genuinely hope anyone reading this has a good day 🙂

  • I’ve had a rough life but since 16 I ran away from my parents due to neglect and homelessness. I am in college now and I ended up homeless on my own again due to mental health reasons, and got caught in domestic violence for another 6 months after escaping a traumatic childhood. Life is a battle everyday for me, but I am seeing a therapist and I hope things get better. I’ve cried everyday being here and it gets worse and worse, abuse never gets better it eats u alive.

  • “Victims of emotional abuse can experience more severe psychological reactions. A victim may feel their emotions are affected to such an extent that he or she no longer recognizes their own true feelings related to issues or situations the abuser is trying to control. As a result, the victim’s self-concept, confidence, and independence are systematically broken down.” — Barrie Davenport

  • Unfortunately enough, I relate to every single one. Even more unfortunately, I can’t really do anything about it for two main reasons: 1) The abuse comes from the family and I can’t get my own even rental apartment yet 2) There’s no good mental health specialists in my area and going out of town to meet a good one is not affordable So yeah… I guess I’ll try to hang in there for now. Edit: Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and understanding but there are some things I need to clarify. 1) I am an ex-student, volunterely dropped out of college after 4 years (that was about 2 years ago as of editing this comment), currently working 2) I am not from US, or Europe, so some of the options mentioned in the comments are simply unavailable to me. I hope that those who can use them do so without any trouble Thanks for reaching out and sharing your experiences. I hope that you have a great day, and a wonderful future ahead, free of problems of today. We will make it!

  • Hey I want to thank you for this article. A few months ago I got out of an emotionally abusive relationship that went on for 5 years. Thankfully I have a few good friends that helped me realize what was wrong and let me lean on them emotionally to help end it. It has taken a bit and I’m still dealing with emotional scars and trauma but now I’m feeling a lot better and I even have a new GF who actually cares and treats me right emotionally as strange a feeling as that is now. I thank you because this article would have been my wake-up call if I didn’t have those friends to help.

  • I’ve been emotionally abused by others as a community as a kid. My elementary school was messed up and didn’t like how pushy or annoying I was and didn’t like that I had autism. I ended up thinking I was stupid and mean and a total attention seeker so I had an adverse reaction and started being overly giving to everyone but myself. I degraded myself and abused myself, told myself I was a monster. I thought something was totally wrong with me and I had a mental illness. I couldn’t keep people around me due to my issues with myself and it didn’t help. Eventually I decided I had enough of my abuse and stood up against my ego. Now I am healing.

  • Thank you so much for giving a voice for people like me who suffered in silence for many many years to the point I was suicidal and inflicted self-harm and almost lost and damaged my life to suicide attempt 💔💔💔. I can relate to all the signs mentioned about emotional neglect and abuse. I really don’t know how else to express my appreciation and gratitude that this YouTube website is doing advocating and raising awareness on mental health related issues🙏🙏🙏. People often underestimate the importance of mental health/mental illness. They don’t acknowledge and validate that mental and emotional wellbeing is so important for a person to live a happy peaceful life. It feels really lonely isolating and suffocating to not have anyone who truly understands what people like me are going through. I find peace and contentment in my faith that God (Allah) is always there for me and He will help me to get through this life no matter how hard it gets. Thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏🥺🥺🥺

  • Yup. Some of these definitely resonated. I had to cut out my parents because they put me through emotional abuse. I’m an independent 27 year old and they don’t like that, so when i lived with them, they did everything to belittle me such as locking me outside, yelling at me, gaslighting me into thinking im effed up, not giving me proper nutrition, and the list goes on. Since I’ve moved out, im slowly getting better, but i do experience some of this.

  • I’ve experienced a lot of these symptoms after being emotionally abused by a close friend of mine. One sign I’d probably add to this though is the fear of making mistakes. That’s what started the emotional abuse. I was emotionally compromised one day due to some terrible events happening in the family, and I said some things I shouldn’t have. Yes, I was definitely in the wrong, and I tried to apologize and work towards fixing what I did. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. They kept giving me prolonged silent treatments (months), and they started to exclude me from meetings with our friends. Eventually it ended up being another friend telling me things like: “You realize you’re the reason they never want you around, right?” and “It’s because of you that plans I had for our friend group are ruined.” Still, I admit that I was in the wrong for everything that happened. My last meeting with this friend was a few weeks ago. They were willing to talk, but only if a “moderator” was perusal, yet the moderator only took her side the entire time. During that time they shamed me, yelled at me, and kept insisting they were a bigger victim, and acted like all my life experiences would never be considered as bad as theirs. Then they made a proposition: either we end the friendship, or if I want to try to mend the friendship, I’d have to submit and consent to a load of emotional abuse. These included: being given the silent treatment whenever they felt like it, making me change my views and beliefs, hating myself, etc.

  • I am neglected constantly by my family which is why I stopped doing the things I loved. Everyday when I’m with people I pretend to be this friendly kid but when I’m finally alone I let my emotions out. They all think of me as the person with no feelings. I was abused emotionally before and it causes me to have trauma. I still have flashbacks to this day😱

  • I’m surprised how much this article has helped me. I’m already aware that I have a abusive relationship with my mother, but this article made me realize where some of my issues come from (I’m underaged so there’s not much I can do about my relationship) I withdrawal from people often because I’m afraid of being judged, yet when I do I feel lonely. and I’ve never considered that fear of being myself around people coming from my abuse. I’ve also have had many many outbursts of anger and sadness recently, and warning sign 4 felt far too close to home as this happens all the time and sometimes I even feel like my feelings are irrational due to these outbursts.

  • I often forget just how many people go through the very same thing that I go through everyday. The part about apologizing to inanimate objects really struck home. It made me realize just how often I do that during the day and how many times I apologize for every little perceived wrong I do even if no one else is here. It made me cry but at least this article reminded me I’m not alone. I think sometimes we feel so alone and isolated. 💔😥

  • My mom has made me always the bad guy when i do nothing wrong, invalidates how i feel, makes fun of me, expresses she is jealous of me, and has made me feel crazy by saying what i know to be correct is incorrect, its been like this my whole life and i still have to deal with it till i move out in a few years, this is real, our pain is real, dont shrug us off, we need validation and comfort

  • I’ve been emotionally abused by my family for a while now. It did cause me to get so many mental health problems. They always blame me for things that are super small. They always say it’s my fault. I keep taking their criticism, and then blame myself when future problems come. I keep sitting in my room alone, not talking to anybody. I also often hurt myself because of what I’m going through, and ask myself “what’s the point”. My parents feel like they’re raising me right, but i feel hurt

  • I was in a emotional abusive relationship for 2 years. Took me over 6 years to be in a relationship again and my current boyfriend is amazing!!! He’s so comforting and makes me feel safe, whenever I have a break down he’s always there to give me a hug and let me cry it out. He’s so understanding and I can’t be more happy with him💖

  • For the longest time, I’ve always wondered why I was afraid of the police. I never had a bad encounter and yes, my abusers made sure to make me feel horrible if I tried to call the police. So honestly, I brushed it aside but as I aged, the extreme fear never went away. Every time im near a cop, I get so anxious that I tend to run away. Honestly, this makes sense since I was emotionally and psychologically abused.

  • I relate to 1, 2, 4 and 5, mostly from childhood. Not really a romantic relationship but moreso from things that happened in family and SORTA with friends but not really something they did wrong NECESSARILY, it mostly just worsened specific aspects. I mean those things still apply just to a WAY lesser extent for me, so I kinda feel called out XD. 3(the appetite part) only really applies when I get distracted or focus too much on something or when I’m feeling too down.

  • I’ve been abused emotionally by my family and my last relationship to the point where Ive withdrawn all social activities minus work and seeing my brother for his kids. When I try to game I just feel I’m wasting my time and shouldn’t enjoy myself or have fun. The last two days at work at the pharmacy I can’t make eye contact I barely can talk and a complete anxiety overload being around ppl. I don’t trust ppl to talk to them since they use it against you. I don’t have friends or family I talk to. I’m all alone with God trying to get by day by day.

  • I am disabled and have to live with my parents, which feels like being trapped. I don’t feel that my parents abuse me, but my aging father keeps becoming more and more self-focused to the point of doing things that hurt me without having contact. He has emotional problems that he has lived through and never closed when trying counseling, so there is no hope of things getting better. That has added into my tendency of depression and other mental problems from having brain surgery, so 4 out of 6 of these apply to me. I am legally and financially incapable of moving out to live on my own, though, so nothing can change.

  • My grandmother knew for years that meat based diets cause me rashes and pain, my doctor wanted me on a plant based diet. She terrorized me about it for more than a decade shaming me every time for being “mean”. After my dad died of cancer I stayed with her because I didnt want to be alone, and learned she was an abuser. She began putting meat based products in my food and lying to me about it. And after 2 months of rashes and pain (and getting yelled at for not doing enough while I was in pain), she revealed she was putting things in my food. “YOULL KEEP EATING IT RIGHT!?” “ITS NOT IN THE FOOD ITS JUST FLAVORING THE FOOD!” She was so abusive, but I thought i was crazy and was convinced i did something wrong.

  • On a certain level, we have a drug store in our brain, the neurochemicals that show up in flow: so dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, endorphins, and serotonin. If you were to try to cocktail the street drug version of that, right, you’re trying to blend like heroin and speed and coke and acid and weed- and point is, you can’t do it. It turns out the brain can cocktail all of ’em at once, which is why people will prefer flow to almost any experience on Earth. It’s our favorite experience. It’s the most addictive experience on Earth. Why? ‘Cause it cocktails five or six of the largest pleasure drugs the brain can produce. We’re all capable of so much more than we know. That is a commonality across the board. And one of the big reasons is we’re all hardwired for flow, and flow is a massive amplification of what’s possible for ourselves.

  • I am 16 as of now. My father, is an alcoholic, and hasn’t been the best parent since I was 11 right after my mom passed in 2017. I have had all of these signs, and I don’t know what to do. I want to get therapy but I don’t know how to ask, and he’s been saying he’s been “trying” to quit drinking, but he still does it. I feel like he messed me up. Luckily he has never gotten physically violent, except he will shout and break things while insulting me. If anyone knows what I could do and could tell me, I would greatly appreciate it.

  • I just realised i had this 🗿 least i can do is hoping everything will change ….or i need to …. before i go 🙂 these days i don’t know why I’m afraid to do comments in yt …. Text anxiety?idk ..who reading this …hey if u have any problems goin on lbh Y’all have but it’s gonna be alright….. Trust me ….have a good day ✨

  • While I knew I’ve been emotionally abused I haven’t expected that every point in this article would be so accurate. Multiple things u’ve listed i have never considered to be an effect of abuse (like with crying outbursts I’ve always thought I’m just way too sensitive and take everything too seriously which still may be correct but at least now I know it’s not the only reason I experience em so often) Same with self isolation which I still continue to do, my family always just said I’m lazy or introverted and I suppose I believed them. In other words – I rly appreciate ur article on this topic, thank u

  • I was physically and emotionally abused by BOTH of my parents since preschool. 24 years later, I still am. But every family member and relative always and constantly berates me, while telling me my parents did everything for me. Even my brother thinks I’m a lazy spoiled brat when I’m really just extremely depressed most of the time and anxious every time I go out and enter the house. I’ve been threatened of being disowned repeatedly growing up (earliest preschool) just for standing up for myself and my beliefs. I was beaten black and blue with large, steel, clothes hangers until it split into two. With everything they put me through, I’m amazed they always just blamed me for being messed up when they made me like this.

  • I can relate to about 3-4. I’m going into Highschool and I have so much trauma with bullying, my dad leaving and my mum and step dad having a massive fight in front of me and my sister. I get so much anxiety just from thinking about it and when there is even a loud voice or a sad movie on high volume I get so much anxiety where I feel like I’m going to be sick. This helped me identify some of the things so thank you for that.

  • I think the worst part about it is that I know my parents love me, but it still hurts. Another thing I also notice, building off that last point, is being afraid of any kind of punishment. Not only does the punishment usually feel like a sucker punch to the gut, but what makes it worse is that my parents kinda… Just brought it up casually in conversation with another parent (who also talked about how they punished their child). The worst part was that I WAS THERE, and I felt so embarrassed. I just wished they stopped talking about it and just moved on! And they sounded proud! God, I hated it. I just want to move far away from my family and actually do things I want to do instead of being afraid I’m gonna do something bad. And without having to share my location, mind you.

  • These articles mean a lot to me. I relate a lot to so many of them and am really struggling. I do not have trust in getting help and guidance from mental health specialists due to many… many past experiences. I will never pay someone to “care” about me again when in reality they don’t give a shit about me or my mental health. I would never recommend anyone to get help from a mental health specialist, if you have a friend or family member you feel comfortable talking to just talk with them instead. In my case I just always turn to the internet… and well its better than nothing

  • so I resonated with literally everything on this list…and only showed it up until a couple of months ago. When I got kicked out of my parents’ house, to be more specific. Once I got out these symptoms went away. I know it’s most logically because I’ve removed myself from the abuse finally but now I’m afraid that not being mentally ill anymore makes my pain less valid somehow. thank you for making this article

  • The most relatable one for me is 0:31 withdrawal, 1:05 low self-esteem and worthlessness 2:23 frequently crying 3:17 blaming myself for things this one is too relatable.. I blame myself all the time. I even apologize to things that aren’t even alive. I caught myself doing this in Walmart and my mother asked if I just apologized to an object. I joked it off but I have done this way too many times.

  • I have dealt with this myself with my mother. I have yet to get help, but I got out and away. I’ve been tempted to call the police if she ever threatened my life a third time. I get very scared or very angry quickly. Mostly get scared when my partner is upset. He’s never done anything to hurt me, but there’s still that fear. Thank you for this article. Has allowed me to better understand what I’m dealing with

  • Today I regained my freedom, with it comes a sense of peace. I no longer am at the mercy of my ex husband. It took 3 weeks at the psychiatric hospital to see how terrible the abuse, and violence of the abuse was. I had to endure being homeless after a back surgery but, it was so worth it. I am free, I am blessed, I am myself again. I will never give anyone the power to subject me again to that terror. Please, if you are in that situation seek help. There are plenty of agencies that are caring and dedicated to help. I’m proof of that. Peace and light to all.

  • My dad was neglecting me when I was growing up (4-10). I’m now 15 and I used to grow up with my grandma baby sitting me since both my parents worked till 6. (My dad was a lawyer and my mom worked for an airline company) he always was coming home from work and whenever I was messing around or just was simply being a kid (“not following rules”) or just simply wanting attention, my dad always made me feel like I was just an annoying kid. Or he made it so exaggerating when I just got tempered at my grandma (from him) that he would almost scream at me. I sat there and had so much fear when my grandma told him how I was behaving and would constantly yell at me like I’m a soldier or in a very mean tone. Like the kind a man talks to another man when there angry at each other. I remember once he even kept on knocking on my head when I sat there in tears telling how I never get the things he tells me to do. And it was very hard to follow as I was just a kid. He kept on doing it to the point I got a bump on head and told mom about it. When I did, she said I shouldn’t have acted that way. But I believe no matter how a kid misbehaves I don’t think they deserve a bump on the head. I cried and felt so angry the next morning. Being around him was like he was some sort of a stranger I was so scared of. Whenever we visited to his parents his mom could see how scared I was being around him. And he just denied it. Car rides was the scariest one for me. I was sitting in the car when he did this on purpose.

  • This has me down to a tee. Me and my younger siblings are being mentally and emotionally abused. We live with our grandparents and our grandma is abusive to us and our grandpa mentally and emotionally. I can’t wait until our mom gets custody of me and my siblings again. Whoever reads this, you are beautiful, you are worthy, and you are an amazing person. Don’t you ever forget that.

  • 2:30 this is so me. My parents often neglect me or yell at me for either doing something that annoys them (WHICH I HAD NO IDEA I WAS DOING) or ‘being lazy’ or bringing up topics from the past that we were over. At school, whenever my teacher picks on me, (she picks on me all the time) I CRY. And she doesn’t do anything about it! Instead, she keeps me inside at recess for not being able to answer her question or she humiliates me INFRONT of the class. Even my friends have picked up on this.

  • Oh man, I didn’t even realize that police thing was commonly used tactic. I remember my mom would threaten to call the police. And she would always make it seem like that they’re going to side with her. So if she has to call the police, it’s gonna be bad for me. And that made me nervous and scared because I’m just a kid. I don’t want the police called on me. That’s scary.

  • I’ve been also a victim of emotional abuse at High school. I remember so many moments where my habits became so poor after returning from clases that I had to hide my feelings to my parents fearing that they wouldn’t believe all the abuse I was going through. Physical and mental abuse it made me become more angry and hurt even though no one knew about it, but fortunately after graduating I decided to move away from the city and start my first years of college from the beginning and now I feel a little bit more calmer than before. One of the things that I would say about being emotionally abused is that even though time goes on very fast some bad memories stay with you forever. I’ve spent almost two years doing therapy and so far the process of letting things go made me learn about how actions can have it’s consequences in the future. So if you are currently having a bad moment just remember YOU’RE NOT ALONE! Stay strong and I hope that bad things shall pass. ❤

  • Thankyou ❣️💜🙏😮‍💨💯This is a very helpful short article in extremely accurate information about what happens. I hope you will make a more detailed article perhaps longer version so we may also know the whole picture and process of these unfortunate effects we experience and to provide others who have not experienced this, more awareness as well. I believe we must seek to understand on a collaborative level collectively with the mind, body soul, spirit as whole individually and together.💜🙏💜🕊️🗣️

  • This happened to me. It was by a teacher. She would always tell me I would never have a life if I got one kahoot question wrong. Then it escalated to me being isolated from my class, and my desk being taken away. Then finally, I was recorded, at 12 years old, without consent for me, or my mom. I’m now 13. I transfered out of that class right before Christmas break. Now, i have anxiety, and cameras are a huge trigger for me. I also self deprecate a lot. Hehe, this is why people need to be aware if their kids are acting on edge or jumpy, and to think, my mom thought nothing was happening until I got recorded.

  • It feels nice to have a bit of insight to what was going on in my life that I didn’t even realize until I moved away from that situation. Now I look back at the things like my mom shaming me for how much food and clothes cost to my step dad getting angry with me for eating their food was not okay. Please reach out to someone if you are not okay or don’t feel safe ❤️

  • The bit about an abuser keeping tabs on what the other person eats really got me, because my emotionally abusive girlfriend of three years (long distance) used to do that. A lot. I’ve experienced so many of these symptoms as a result of that relationship but I’m happy to say that as of this past Sunday, I have abruptly quit that relationship and am currently moving on with my life. The trauma will take a long while to heal, but I’m finally on the road to recovery. <3

  • I have been emotionally abused for over half a century, first by a narcissistic parent, then by my narcissistic ex husband. This kind of abuse causes deep scars that you can not see. There are days where I’m doing good, but then there are days where I won’t even get out of bed. Yes, I can relate to everything you said. Thank you for your articles, they do help.

  • I have had more than one of my friends state that they realized after getting to know me they could tell I had been abused as a child. It was very obvious to them. My mom finally came to realize what she had done to me and admitted it and apoligized. I at least came to have some respect for her. My dad did not have that kind of courage. To others you are not alone. Good Luck

  • The fear of law enforcement resonates clearly with me because I remember my mother(who I used to think was a good person because my dad was more blatantly abusive) convinced us that child protective services is only made up of people who tear families apart for no reason, and manipulated us to lie to them.

  • Hey everyone, so ummm, before I leave this world, I want to give a special thanks to this website for being a light in the darkness. I thought I knew who I was but now it just feels like my whole life is a lie. My friends all hate me, my family hates me, everyone hates me. I see no point in trying to live life anymore 💔

  • I Realate to literally all of them.As a child I do everything in my power to stop that but it heppens an every single day of my life physically a lot more .and emotional abuse has been my life for like forever 🤷‍♀️ what to do but hope I have a better life in the future.not only do they like it but enjoy it and lie. About it .evert time they do it they convince me not to say anything

  • I was raising with neglection and emotional abuse. The only way I feel free is when I was far apart from the causes. However, the aftereffect is still lingers since I’ve never take any kind of treatment or looking for help. I live with it while experience angry outburst or crying sometimes when I’m alone. I do aware that I’m ill but it’s still bearable. I don’t have courage to go hospital to get properly diagnose. If I did, I won’t come again for the second time… Since I need long time to recover the disappointment…

  • In a world plagued by tragedy and loss, I gave up on my own worries, thinking things could be worse. But as I grew up, things have actually become worse and I see my own troubles in a different light. The fragility of my own human existence was revealed when I got an anal cyst in my teens with late discovery and some surgery to take it away. I had not long before that experienced a miscarriage that was not acknowledged and that caused the inside of my belly to be in enormous pain. The cry out for help with the pain was not heard. I came to a clinic and got lots of Alvedon after the surgery to remove the cyst. I guess the emotional abuse that I received after this traumatic event are what really stings. Peoples comments when my surgery left me with a wound that had to be bandaged for half a year at the local clinic, saying it looked like a diaper, was unnecessary but not criminal. My absence from the last year of high school because of event above described left me without any student prom or plans to go to college. I had to retake final year 2 times later and that was a laughing stock for some people. I now have 15 brand new certificates from college courses I took seriously and did not fail, however, I stick to short courses. All the hardships I have gone through has made me speak out and leave this comment today. Take it or leave it, I do not feel fine today, but I do what I can and survive. My feelings have been hurt way too many times. I do not wish the fate has been given me on any other, so I do not say that I will be a role model.

  • I have not suffered emotional abuse, but I’ve often wondered why I avoid eye contact with my significant other when I am upset. Like, if we’re arguing, I have a real hard time looking them in the eye. I’ve even googled it before because I know it isn’t “normal” behaviour. I was shocked when you summed it up so easily as withdrawal. Which makes 100% sense because I am definitely the type.

  • My stepfather verbally abused my family until my mama kicked him out. I had it the worst though He scrutinized everything I did, accused me of faking my mental health issues including my ticks at their worst (I still have them just less so now that the biggest stressor in my life is no longer a daily thing) yelled at me for upsetting the heightened senses he had with his bipolar he refused to treat yet yelled at me because I had an emotional meltdown or refused to sit in a chair from at the time was seen as a (misdiagnosis of) ocd but now is suspected to be a misdiagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome. And my mom is certain of it because I fit all but a few of the symptoms of Asperger’s in teens. Despite my mom telling him that because of my mental health yelling at me provided no benefits and only scared me. He yelled at me for leaving the kid to the outdoor garbage bin open despite the fact it was full, he yelled at me and accused me of faking my ticks (mainly a jerk in my neck) to get out of learning to cook. I was still going to listen to him if he hadn’t yelled at me. Just so I could avoid the yelling. I was ticking because I was around HIM and I was uncomfortable at the thought of touching raw chicken (raw meat just bothers me when I touch it. And makes me uncomfortable. I don’t even touch the packaging) Yelled at me for taking shoes off without untying it or anything Fat shamed me constantly. Once he threw a remote through the tv and broke vases while yelling at me because I interpreted his mean comment of talking about me eating a sandwich with no meat on it or anything but cheese while i was microwaving the sandwich (legit had pepperoni on it).

  • My mum used to lock me outside of our apartment when I was 6 years old until I was 10. I’d stay in the hallway from noon to evening, no matter how much I screamed, cried, or banged on the door. No food, no water, no nothing. She said it was because I was naughty and that she needed some alone time, but I don’t remember doing anything that bad. The neighbors would often pop out of their units to check up on me. I had to wait until my dad came home from work before somebody let me back in. Fast forward to now, I just turned 30 yesterday. Still struggling with a heap of emotional issues, but I learned a lot of things the hard way. For example, if I ever had kids, you can be damn sure that I wouldn’t put them through the same shit my parents put me through.

  • Yes. Especially to children. Imagine you are six years old. You look to your parents for guidance and love. Instead they started to criticize you. They did not see your accomplishments and achievements. They continue to talk down to you. As time passes, you began to internalize these feelings. You began to blame yourself. This cycle of abuse repeat well into adulthood. I lived with this for almost sixty years before I finally got help. I started to understand where these feelings of anger and resentments came from. My therapist suggested I start writing them down. This led to my first novel. I did not care whether or not people buy my book. I am proud I finally did it. Lesson of the day – If you see your children starting to withdraw, talk with them, not at them. Break the cycle early. The sooner the better. Thank you.0

  • I had the worst but my personality would not let him get the best of me. I got very angry and abusive right back! I would not let that person I was married to for twenty years get me down . I had a very abusive childhood as well; emotionally and physically; it was a bad time but my faith got me through it. I know I was depressed because I slept a lot. I left the 20 yr marriage found someone who loved me for who I was. I have a lot of gumption and that kept me sane. I did get therapy when I was in my 40’s! God Bless to all.

  • Emotional abuse doesn’t always half to be directed at an individual for that individual to be forever changed and damaged. When it’s not your turn to be picked on it’s usually a family member friend or neighbor. Alcoholic’s have no boundaries they will humiliate and destroy you it doesn’t matter if who their toxic words or behavior is being directed at.

  • My ex was emotionally and physically abusing me. A good solid headbutt to her mouth and call to the cops fixed that right up. Don’t put up with it, don’t let anyone hurt you, fight back! I’m very lucky and very glad I was big and strong enough to defend myself when I finally realized that I needed to, I can’t imagine how terrible things would have got if she could have overpowered me, my heart goes out

  • my mother would always done-play my trauma or make it seem like it was my fault to the point of me never telling anyone except my closed friend, and when she found out she got so enraged and after that it got a lot worse. to the point even when i was seeing a psychiatrist i still didn’t tell them in fear of what my mom would do. she would blame me for crying or getting angry and make it seem like i was over-reacting. one of my most severe trauma events happened 7 years ago and i still have to deal with it in my head. I’m still a minor and I can’t leave my mom because of law. i have to wait 6 years until I’m 18, and i might not even have the funds to rent a apartment. so i have to deal with it, I’m very grateful for the people supporting me even if they don’t know this about me.

  • My sisters and I are all overweight. I suspect this is partially due to our mother being overly attentive on her dietary habits and decisions. She controlled her own habits and paterna so strongly, all of us kids felt the need to break out and BE FREE. This resulted in habits of over eating and/or seeming pleasure where we were exemplified that denial was success. I think it would be great if a article such as this showed that side of abuse……

  • I was and still am being emotionally abused by my parents, and that has driven me into a void of no escape. I have attempted suicide multiple times, have mental illnesses (C-PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, panic disorder, severe anxiety), and have just about given up on life. Only two people care about me anymore, and once they leave me, I’ll break, but for the last time. I’m only 14.

  • I never felt validated as someone who went through emotional abuse and neglect. Nobody believed me when I looked for help. And I never observed emotional abuse victims receiving as much love and support. They would always just say “It’s fine, atleast you didn’t get physically abused or sexually abused.” I hope that people will give victims of abuse of any type the support that they need, and not based on general assumptions such as giving less support to a victim of a type of abuse that is generally considered ‘less worse’

  • The irony is that I eventually decided to reach out for help (after becoming aware of the emotional abuse), yet every support service has thus far been interrupted, transferred, and/or dejected in some way, leading me right back to Square One and having to start from scratch each time, reciting the events that lead to the same beginning time and again… all while functionally, circumstantially, and emotionally alone. 💔 I may be resilient to failure, perceiving it more as “one more step on the road to success” than “yet another #### up,” yet if all that happens is the same failed attempt on repeat, with no breakthrough in sight, a support network that lasts months at best before dissolving and/or resetting, and my natural sense of hope, optimism, and happy-go-lucky demeanour now under threat… it reminds me of these lyrics from “How Soon is Now?” I am here, and I need to be loved Just like everybody else does (…) See, I’ve already waited too long And all my hope is gone It sucks, because I’ve always placed so much emphasis on being good to others, as in the æsopic phrase “treat others as you’d want to be treated,” yet so many have misinterpreted my intent, taken advantage of my kindness whether knowingly or otherwise, and/or seen me as a source of blame or easy target for their abuse… and I took it all in, soaking up every bit of bullying, criticism, and takesies-backsies like a sponge. 🤕 It made me even kinder and more polite to others, yet also damaged my self-worth and confidence beyond scope, weakening me and leading to a warped sense of extreme selflessness that has ironically proven to be mutually detrimental in the long run.

  • I feel verry close to these signs .. 1.) My mom or dad always would give me looks when i got over excited infront of quests .. this made nit only me but my siblings when ever we are talking to someone, good or bad look at mom or dad when their in the room as it shows is if they “aprove” of this .. 2.) I may not was able to talk with a mental health profecional but just talking about it, sharing my experiences .. made me so, so much calmer and out side of home where people are not close to me i am able to become my true self . The happy fun loving and easy to talk to person while my family thinks i am introverted cause i don’t talk to them unless i must . 3.) I pretty sure a sigh of emocional abuse is when my mom would make me feel bad for having interests and not do she desires me to do . But not just anyway she would start bein’ pissy ? Its hard to describe she almost as if sounded offended and imegine how my 5 – 15 year old feels when they play with their emocions like this just to get what they want . I give us so many stuff for them, if i didn’t had internet my escape i don’t think i would have interest of my own who knows maybe i would be dead . Killed by my own hand cause i would feel i have no controle .. 😮‍💨 i am glad the internet blockers didn’t exist when i was a child, my sisters have limited time on the internet i didn’t had that cause they didn’t have such app before . I am glad we didn’t, i was able to make a life outside of my home a safe space .

  • I have straight up agoraphobia from how often i get psychologically abused, i get ignored beyond what even makes sense and when i get angry about it, im blamed for it because i dont “respond correctly” the rare and random times im addressed by these people. Its been since i was born, my mom had me cry alone in my crib if my needs werent simple and obvious.

  • This is exactly what happened to me starting mostly when was a child and even today. No one knows what im feeling even if they do they still would never understand and it’s getting even worse for me they don’t realize that they are the one who totally destroyed me mentally psychologically and emotionally I’m 16 and totally broken always crying, thinking demonic evil things to them and to me even thinking going suicide always bursting out of anger always avoiding them to not get pick again, always alone in my house.

  • I believe I was emotionally neglected because I didn’t feel loved or even worth it when I was a child, and I was physically abused (and possibly gaslighted). I remember during my teenage years, I was more withdrawn, I ate more as self-medication, have had low self-esteem. But as a child, I was always angry. Still am dealing with my anger outbursts 25+ years later :\\

  • I’ve had good teachers and bad ones, like dates. But one of them was totally emotionally abusive to me. At age 10 she was teaching us about the concept of criticism, and on her instruction, as an exercise she went round the class and everyone had to think of a criticism about me personally. All my classmates listing my Imperfections at the encouragement of the teacher. One of the worse 15 mins of my life and because I was 10 and she was a teacher I trusted her still. She said it was for my own good and I believed it. It wasn’t until adulthood that I realized how evil that was. After the experience was over the kids left for break and I was moving slowly and depressed and she said “you know that was for your own good you know” and I responded “yes” like a pathetic beat dog. Catherine low – low in name and low in nature. The saddest part was because kids trust adults, especially teachers, I never suspected that she erred. Kids tolerate a-lot of intolerable behavior from adults because we don’t know that they can be naughty too. We assume all they do and say must be right. I wish I could meet Mrs low again 21 years later and remind her of that day and tell her how I’ve carried that experience like a bag of bricks.

  • When I was a kid 1:50 my dad would always talk about how skinny I was and how I had no muscle. He would say that my hair is thin and that I needed more protein. 2:44 and I always used to wonder what was wrong with me. Because I used to see people whose parents physically abused them who had the same behaviors and I didn’t understand what was happening to me that made me have so many mental health issues. One time in 6th grade my mom was so cruel and said so many rude things to me that I used to cry every night and one time I cried so hard that my head hurt so bad. And that night i went to my mom and she said “stop trying to put this on me, you did this to yourself . Now you have to undo it yourself” I remember one time in 7th grade my mom pressured me so bad to get an A on this test and I failed it. At the time my mom was being nice to me so she didn’t yell TOO much. I was allowed to do retakes and the day of the retake I was so nevrouse because my mom put so much pressure on me that I felt dizzy and I had to be sent home because my heart rate was 155. The worst part of it was that even though I failed the test I still had a B in the class and my mom said it wasn’t good enough And they almost called an ambulance but my dad said no. I used to hurt myself in 5th grade because my dad wasn’t really a big part of my life and either way he didn’t really like me or know me very well. My mom was so mean to me in 5th grade so not only was nobody there for me but it was like people where in the negatives if you understand what I mean.

  • When my parents lost their job, they became very stressed. My mom later started working and i stayed at home cleaning. I was 14 and cleaning was new to me so i didn’t do a lot of things right but i was Trying, i really was. But my mom and Dad were so stressed that everyday, they took it out on me. Saying this like “Ughhh you really can’t do THIS”? “THIS IS YOUR IDEA OF CLEANING”?I had no way out of it. It made me feel all these things that were mentioned. I started to withdrawal, but i just thought I needed to recharge.

  • I wouldn’t say I was emotionally abused by one person, or my parents or anything like that. But my Dad’s job required us all to seem completely perfect at all times. So I could never really have true friends because if they knew someone who knew someone that was involved with my Dad and I said what I really thought it could legitimately endanger his job. Thankfully we got out of that context so it is greatly improving.

  • Well here is mine 1. Withdrawal-I guess during this period of the quarantine I started hating the presence of others this tactic of mine backfired when we had to go back to F2F. But I managed somehow but I’m still suffering from withdrawal… 2. Worthlessness-I’ve had these thoughts for a while even before covid idk why but I keep repeating those kind of words when I’m alone or when I’m bored, either in my mind or out loud… 3.Weight/Diet-idk why I have this as a part of it but cause of quarantine I had to keep a steady diet like “You should eat more” or “You eat too much” “Control yourself” but now I’m losing weight so I guess I’m improving… 4.Crying/Mad bursts-this happens to me only a few times like one time I just started randomly crying sometimes when I’m in front of an aircon. And I did this once in school an excuse I use when this happens is “Ohh why I’m crying it’s fine just the cold makes me cry”… 5.Blame-tbh I do say srry to inanimate objects. But idk why it felt right… Like if someone did that to me what would I say…. 6.Law-u know those inspection guards whenever they check me a swarm of guilt comes in and since I have to go through the door I raise my hands up like I just committed a crime (do these count?)

  • My family were shocked when I got into the top university because they always said my sister was smarter and she didnt get as many points. Now they don’t believe me and question my mental health because I had contact with a person who knows some famous people. Its so disgusting. They are literally jealous and think they are more important!

  • Normally my mum gets really angry at me and she does domestic abuse from me, whenever I touch or mess up things around her other rooms that’s means he gets really mad and I end up with her getting angry, then she starts to lash out as well just like me when I have anger issues I lash out at my mum as well then formally, neglect, narristic mother can be the worst thing for verbal abuse as well.

  • When you literally relate to every single one of those things on a personal level and can list multiple times stuff like that happend and you can follow it all back to your mother but she said it isn’t abuse and I need to stop and shut up about ‘gaslighting or whatever’ bc it’s not: 👁👄👁*confusion*

  • My grandpa will throw things and yell at us and we’re always rly upset because of it. He always says sorry and this time I didn’t forgive him. I said ok and walked off with nothing else to say. It’s the narcissist pattern. Don’t fall into it by letting them believe that their apology matters for the 1000th time

  • I was a middle child I was forgotten all the people around me they all favor my siblings I always forgotten they get gifts while I got nothing I always studying hard to get their attention even tho my siblings are dumb they were the favorite at first they excited when they heard I was smart but now there just saying “be smarter” I was talking to myself how how can I be smarter when this is my limit my siblings don’t do nothing but their still the favorite I was mad at everything so they always mock me for being mad when their the fault I was mad at the first place I had no one to lean on nobody loved me Thank you for listening to my useless story btw I was ten

  • I remember back when I was in high school I had people in my life that I thought were my friends but it just turns out they were just using me and I didn’t even know it at the time. To this day I’m scared to interact with people cause I don’t know who’s real or fake. I push people away before they have a chance to hurt me and I have trust issues to this day because I don’t know who’s really my friends

  • I’ve had Asperger’s syndrome growing up, and I remember being treated unfairly by my resource teacher from time to time. Once in third grade, she nearly encouraged me to stop perusal my favorite Rock ‘N Learn article, Colors Shapes and Counting, because it was for kindergarteners and not for big kids like me. During the same year, she made me wear a different colored t-shirt on a certain day because she was tired of me coming to class every day with a red t-shirt, even though she knew red was my favorite color. Once in fourth grade, when I was singing a couple of children’s songs while doing a worksheet, The Wheels on the Bus, for instance, she told me to stop singing them because her class wasn’t for preschoolers. Once in fifth grade, she nearly forbid me from bringing an imaginary friend to school and said I’d be in big trouble if she caught me. This example bothers me the most. During the same year, she once told me I acted like a two-year-old because I was upset when a classmate with brittle bone disease accidentally took my seat at the computer and made me move to another computer. To top it off, the next day I came to class, when I told my teacher how I felt about what she told me, she didn’t bother to apologize if she hurt my feelings. She still insisted that I was acting like a two-year-old and told me not to keep staying in the past. I never told anyone about these moments because I thought she was just trying to do her job as a teacher. But when I told my mom for the first time in my mid-20’s, she was appalled, angry, and wished she would’ve reported my teacher back then.

  • out of all those things you listed is what is going on with me…no matter how strong I try to be or hide it…but it’s people out here just like to continue hindering you til ya just want to throw the towel…at the same time I don’t but on the other hand I do…it makes me want to do something I regret but every time I think about it I see blue lights sooo…just have to hang in there the best way I can…

  • I have low self esteem. I didn’t realize. I thought low self esteem meant only thinking you are ugly. I didn’t use to think I was ugly but surprisingly it just happened over time. It didn’t start out that way. It started with feeling I’m not smart enough or good enough. That i cant trust myself because i make horrible decisions etc.

  • Withdrawal: ☑(I’m actually doing it rn) Low self-esteem and worthlessness:☑ (no particular comment) Changes in appetite or weight:☑ (Ye, I gained some weight, now I’m losing a bunch) Frequent crying or outbursts:☑ (Tbh, I think I might have BPD. So I’m not sure??) Blaming self for things: ☑ (idk, nothing in particular) Fear of law enforcement officers: ❌ (I mean I don’t like them, but I’m not terrified of them) Is this a problem? I know it says in the article, but I genuinely just don’t know wether or not I should do something about it

  • I used to get bullied like most of the time in school, yet now I feel like everyone is neglecting me, since I’m so anxious with everything other than staying by myself. I tried to chat with my work colleague yet the conversation gets stale so quickly, and they left me afterwards or either I try to bail out asap. I feel desperate yet I tried so many times and it failed.

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