Verbal abuse is often insulting and humiliating, with the abuser making fun of or ridiculing the target. It also involves the abuser taking complete control over the life of the person she or he is abusing, often by making threats or otherwise manipulating that person.

Contextualizing the incident in the relationship and looking at other forms of controlling behavior will help to determine if this is something that could escalate.Contact a hotline if you have questions or concerns.This study explored the relationships between college students’ self-identification as recipients and/or perpetrators of abuse in their dating relationships and abusive behaviors reported.The Centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence describes abusers as being obsessively jealous and possessive, overly confident, having mood swings or a history of violence or temper, seeking to isolate their partner from family, friends and colleagues, and having a tendency to blame external stressors.Meanwhile, victims of relationship abuse share many traits as well, including: physical signs of injury, missing time at work or school, slipping performance at work or school, changes in mood or personality, increased use of drugs or alcohol, and increasing isolation from friends and family.