Words as Weapons

I strongly believe that verbal abuse is as painful and damaging as physical abuse, and now I have the tangible proof literally in my hands.

A few weeks ago I was lounging around in the copy room when I picked up the school's newsletter and read this article titled "Cutting Words May Scar Young Brains." Although the hypothesis that verbal abuse leads to sensory brain damage has been around for a while, this is the first published study that shows parental verbal abuse significantly damages brain pathways. In this study, adults who have experienced parental verbal abuse showed disturbed pathways involved in language processing, depression and anxiety. This is the first evidence of the effect of "ridicule, humiliation, and disdain on brain connectivity." Early abuse, says one of the authors "shows up in your brain structure late in life."

This article deeply saddened and numbed me. Sure, I knew that a child who was called stupid by his parents would probably have problems later on in life, but the thought that an adult could use words as weapons to physically scar a child's brain was disturbing to me. Now, we are not talking about just slow reading or some acting out here and there. We are talking about potential mental illness. Mental illness can be a handicap; affecting a person's career, day-to-day life, and relationships. Mental illness can mean never-ending visits to the doctor, pills, suicide attempts and a lot of heartache and hardship. Anxiety disorders and depression are the most common mental illnesses in the United States, and if parental verbal abuse is a risk factor for these conditions--albeit one of many--something must be done to prevent it.

Authors of the study say it is too early to act with anything other than additional research. For now, the article says, the most important message is that parental verbal abuse is damaging. So spread the word. In the US, emotional abuse is child abuse and can be reported. Here are some hotlines. If you know anyone in your family who exerts verbal abuse on a child, stop it. If you see it happening in public, say something. Remember that verbal and emotional abuse can be just as damaging as physical abuse.