1/ What can emotional abuse be?

Incredibly damaging

2/ How long does emotional abuse last?

3/ Which services can you seek for help? Local/ national confidential advocacy centers

4/ Why emotionally abusive behaviors can be subtle and difficult to spot? It Exploits/ creates power
imbalances

5/ What is the first sign of emotional abuse? The content of someone’s words

Emotional abuse can be incredibly damaging, increasing a person’s chances of developing depression
and anxiety sometimes for decades after the fact. Broadly speaking, emotional abuse involves one
person controlling another by undermining their sense of self-worth and personal agency. That’s partly
because emotional abuse often exploits or creates power imbalances between individuals, especially in
relationships where safety, care, and trust are supposed to be guaranteed, like the relationship between
a caregiver and a child, healthcare provider and patient, teacher and student, or intimate partners. It's
especially insidious because it often makes people doubt their perceptions of their own mistreatment.
Emotionally abusive behaviors can be subtle and difficult to spot, both from within and outside the
abusive relationship. So let's walk through some of the most common signs of emotional abuse, to make
these behaviors and patterns easier to spot in real life, including body language and tone, tone and non-
verbal cues. Maintaining interpersonal ties with people other than the abuser is crucial, as abusers often
try to isolate their targets from others close to them. It’s also important to remember that abusers
rarely engage in abusive behaviors 100% of the time. Moments of kindness or calm don’t invalidate
moments of abuse, but are actually part of the cycle of emotional manipulation. If you think someone
you know is being emotionally abused, check in with them. Let them know you’re thinking of them and
that you're ready to listen whenever they'd like to share.