Even scarier, these effects are regularly seen in teens and tweens. According to Safe Voices, 26 percent of teenage girls have experienced verbal abuse. That translates to more than one in four teens. Plus, 62 percent of tweens in the age range of 11 to 14 who have dated say they know friends who have been emotionally abused. And even more concerning, only half of tweens know what it means to be in a bad relationship.

The problem is that emotional abuse can be subtle. In some cases, it can even seem like normal behavior associated with anger. For example, Psych Central says that an abuser may attempt to humiliate or embarrass a victim. Abusers may be overly critical or put their partners down. They may even go silent or ignore the victim, which is also considered abusive. 

Another form of abuse is mentally confusing behavior. An abuser might turn everything around on you to make issues your fault. As a result, you question your actions and think that you’re wrong.

Emotional abuse can be conditional. Experts say that this can come in the form of saying that “if you don’t do something, they will do something in return.” Further, emotional abuse can be seen in “I love you,” with stipulations attached to the phrase (I love you, but…). A person may even completely withdraw all affection, which is considered abusive. 

Emotional abuse can be manipulative. According to Psych Central, one subtle type of this kind of abuse is called “gaslighting.” This occurs when the victim is given false information designed to make them question their own memories and perceptions. It can even cause a victim to question his or her sanity. Denying an event that legitimately took place or even staging events meant to confuse the victim are examples of gaslighting.

Unfortunately, victims of emotional abuse are often afraid to seek help because of its insidious nature, plus self-esteem has been destroyed. This can cause a person to question whether or not the abuse has even taken place.