 Hey, Psych2Goers. Thanks so much for your support. Let's get into it. Do you know how common mental abuse is? According to the National Center of Biotechnology Information, 80% of the population has experienced some form of abusive relationship and behavior. But despite how frequent it happens, emotional abuse is still hard to spot. This is because unlike physical abuse, mental abuse doesn't leave any visible scars. Instead, it affects someone's behavior, mindset, and mentality. So, to help you become more aware of the signs of emotional abuse in people, here are five things people who've been mentally abused do. Number one, constantly take fault. Have you ever met someone who apologized for every little thing that happens, even though it's not their fault? People who've been in a toxic or abusive relationship are often made to feel like they are the one at fault. Abusers may say phrases like, look what you made me do, or you're lucky I'm still dealing with you. This type of language is extremely harmful. As it can often lead to those being abused to believe that their mistreatment is deserved. This may be why even after the toxic relationship has ended, they might still hold on to the habit of apologizing for everything, even if it's not their fault. Number two, struggling to be vulnerable. Was there ever someone who betrayed your trust? After it happened, did you feel like you could never open up to anyone else ever again? This also happens to those who have been in an emotionally abusive relationship. Once they leave their toxic relationship, they may struggle and find it difficult to be vulnerable with another person again. Thoughts such as, what if they become toxic too, or I can't trust anyone but myself anymore, may fill their heads since they've been deeply hurt before. Number three, they need constant reassurance. Have you ever felt like you're not good enough? Degrading someone through verbal attacks is a form of emotional abuse. Perhaps someone has told you that you're not attractive, you're not funny, or you're not smart enough, or maybe they'll say that there's nothing you can change to be good enough for them. If you've hurt someone like this, even once, you know how awful and hurtful it can feel. So when someone hears this every day, it can definitely affect them throughout their entire lives. They may end up feeling inadequate and insecure about themselves and require constant reassurance. Building their self-esteem back up takes time. So you may want to try to be a little more patient, empathetic, and encouraging when you're with them. Number four, breakdown during small conflicts. Have you ever gone through a meltdown over something really small? It's most likely that your breakdown is caused by a number of previous incidents that grew more and more overwhelming as they piled on. Since people who have been mentally abused carry on a large burden from their past, small things may easily become overwhelming and trigger their insecurities or memories of their past traumas. This, in turn, may cause them to experience a breakdown over something that looks seemingly small. So if you ever see someone go through something similar, try to remember that there's likely more going on than you know. Treat them gently and calmly the same way you'd want to be treated on a bad day. And finally, number five, they suppress their feelings. Have you ever felt like someone just wasn't listening to what you were saying? How did it make you feel? Invalidated, unimportant? This happens all the time in many abusive relationships. The abuser often ignores or criticizes the victim for expressing their emotions. And this can make them feel like their emotions don't matter or that they should be ashamed of them. Even after the toxic relationship ends, they may internalize the idea that their feelings aren't important and hide them. In these moments, you may want to try to reassure them about their feelings and let them know that, yes, they are important and valid and that they deserve to express how they feel no matter what. Do you think these signs will help you recognize mental abuse? If so, which ones? Let us know in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, be sure to share it with those who might benefit from it and don't forget to hit the notification bell icon to get notified whenever Psych2Go posts a new video. The references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. Thanks so much for watching and we'll see you next time.