Effects of Long-Term Verbal Abuse
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Dissociative Disorders
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Victims of verbal abuse may experience dissociative disorders, which can involve the memory, behavior, personality, or a combination of all three. With dissociative disorders, the victim blocks painful and hurtful events as a coping mechanism and is capable of experiencing selective amnesia. Typically, individuals that have symptoms of dissociative disorders as a result of verbal abuse, develop this trait in an attempt to escape feelings. A dissociative disorder can be viewed as a way the brain protects itself.
Depression / Anxiety
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The most common long-term effects of verbal abuse are depression and anxiety, which also open the door to other symptoms such as mood disorders, anger issues and self-critical tendencies. There are many forms of verbal abuse, such as threats of physical harm, insults, cursing and demeaning comments. However, there are also "wordless" forms of verbal abuse such as grimacing, laughing, rolling the eyes, brainwashing and sarcasm. All of these cut to the core of one's being and initiate feelings of being unloved, undeserving and worthlessness. These feelings provide a high-speed ramp to depression and anxiety later on in life. After repeatedly hearing negative comments and insults, both children and adults begin to believe what they hear. The negative traits instilled in them by their abuser are often used as explanations for common mistakes and anything that goes awry, whether or not it is within their control.
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Other Psychiatric Disorders
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Individuals who are victims of verbal abuse are also suspected of developing personalities deemed unstable or hostile, as well as OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders), paranoia and many other social issues. In the April 26, 2007, article from the Harvard University Gazette, Martin Teicher, a psychiatrist, stated that, "Verbal abuse may also have more lasting consequences than other forms of abuse, because it's often more continuous."
Suicide
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The worst outcome, as a result from continuous verbal abuse, is when the victim cannot deal with the disorders, depression, anxieties, paranoia and other psychiatric disorders any longer and tries or commits suicide. In many cases, people on the outside are unaware of the issues at hand as the victim may not discuss past problems or painful memories. Friends, relatives and coworkers may accept this person with his unique personality and acknowledge "that's just the way he is," when in fact, behind this different and often difficult personality, lay the sad history of verbal abuse.
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