Does your partner continuously degrade or belittle you? If you think that just because you aren't being physically abused nothing is wrong, think again.

Emotional abuse can have devastating consequences on both physical and mental health. While emotional or psychological abuse may be difficult to pinpoint, examples abound. Here are some characteristics:

* Using economic power to control you

* Threatening to leave

* Making you afraid by using looks, gestures or actions

* Smashing things

* Controlling you through minimizing, denying and blaming

* Making light of the abuse and not taking your concerns about it seriously

* Continually criticizing you, calling you names, shouting at you

* Emotionally degrading you in private, but acting charming in public

* Humiliating you in private or public

* Withholding approval, appreciation or affection as punishment

Here comes the question, Why Do People Stay in Abusive Relationships?