Emotional abuse: What it is, what it does to children, what can be done about it
Emotional abuse of children can lead, in adulthood, to addiction, rage, a severely damaged sense of self and an inability to truly bond with others. But—if it happened to you—there is a way out.
Andrew Vachss is a lawyer with an unusual specialty. His clients are all children—damaged, hurting children who have been sexually assaulted, physically abused, starved, ignored, abandoned and every other lousy thing one human can do to another. People who know what he does always ask: “What is the worst case you ever handled?” When you’re in a business where a baby who dies early may be the most fortunate child in the family, there’s no easy answer. . His answer is that, of all the many forms of child abuse, emotional abuse may be the cruellest and longest-lasting of all.
