For the victim of verbal abuse there are serious and lasting effects.

Verbal abuse, like any and all other forms of abuse, is about power and control. It is dangerous and should not be ignored.

For the victim of verbal abuse there are serious and lasting effects.

Just as is the case with sexual abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, woman abuse, physical abuse and/or domestic violence, verbal abuse injures, causes pain and suffering.

The fact that most who are the victims of verbal abuse are, more often than not, abused in private creates a crazy-making atmosphere of denial as the abuser hides his/her actions from others while at the same time convincing his/her victim that he/she is to blame for the abuser's feelings, impulses, unmet needs and the like.

The reality is that the verbal abuser is shirking his or her personal responsibility. It is not okay at all for those who are verbally abusive to blame others for how they feel or what they choose to say and do that is abusive.

For most who have been, or are being verbally abused right now, it is important that you come to realize just how insidious verbal abuse can be. Many victims of verbal abuse question whether or not they have been abused as opposed to having misperceived something. Many wonder if how they end up feeling has anything to do with being verbally abused.

Verbal abuse, like any and all other forms of abuse, is about power and control. It is dangerous and should not be ignored.

The most obvious form of verbal abuse is name-calling. However, verbal abuse is not limited to name-calling alone. It also includes any other form of put down, control, blaming, intimidation, taunting or threatening in any way that the abuser uses his or her words to make or attempt to justify those words or his/her feelings, and/or actions as being somehow your fault.

For those who have been (or are being) verbally abused some of the lasting effects of verbal abuse may include:

low self-esteem

feelings of worthlessness

feeling helpless

feeling unheard and having others disbelieve your truth

increased stress and/or anxiety - anxiety attacks

negative effects on physical health

negative effects on emotional well-being

depression

fear of being physically abused

feelings of powerlessness

shame

guilt

worry

feeling crazy when the abuser denies his/her verbal abuse

wondering if you are making too big a deal of the abuse

feeling insecure

feeling unlovable

feeling as if you are walking on egg shells

Verbal abuse can leave its victims walking on egg shells. In more cases than not, if the victim of verbal abuse tries to talk to the verbal abuser about the abuse, the abuser may well act as if nothing happened and seems to not understand or care what the victim is talking about or why he/she would even be concerned.

The reality that a great many verbal abusers fail to take personal responsibility for how they feel and how they have used words to be controlling and abusive further injures the victim of such abuse.

It is the way that the verbal abuser invalidates the reality of the person he/she has verbally abused on top of the abuse already perpetrated.

If you are being verbally abused it is important that you not tolerate that or stay in that situation. You need to take steps to take care of yourself and to protect yourself and any children involved.

If you are being verbally abused in front of or within hearing distance of your children there could be consequences to the children ranging from emotional insecurity to becoming verbally abusive and/or more aggressive with their own feelings of frustration, fear, and helplessness.

The effects of verbal abuse can be cumulative. Verbal abuse needs to be taken seriously.

of verbal abuse can be cumulative. Verbal abuse needs to be taken seriously.