Emotional abuse is probably the most difficult form of abuse to observe,
identify, and treat. There are no visible bruises, cuts, bumps, or
scars. There aren't
any kind of DNA tests or hospital exams to detect it (yet). And
there are no laws against saying harmful things to your child like there
are against leaving him or her home alone if he/she's under a certain age.
At the same time, the scars of emotional abuse can last just as long
as sexual abuse can. The inability of a child to pass his/her classes
in school can turn into the inability to perform at work when the child
has supposedly matured into an "adult". It can interfere in a child's
ability to make friends; another difficulty that
can easily continue into adulthood. It can prevent a person from
finding a suitable mate, and make it all but impossible to make it work
even when he/she's
found "Mr. Right" or "Mrs. Right". It can affect a person's decision
making abilities, which is especially important when the person has to
make crucial life-altering decisions.