Link – Dispelling The Myth of Child Abuse.
This is sadly, true.
Unfortunately, collectively, we as a society seem to believe that the “only” kind of abuse that “counts” is physical. And that if something else happened to you as a child beyond being physically harmed, this “couldn’t have been abuse.”
Part of the problem is finding a clear definition. When someone molests a child or hits them, we can clearly identify that as sexual or physical abuse. With emotional and verbal abuse is a little harder to make that clear distinction. Was a father abusive or just distant? Was a mother verbally abusive or just loud? How often is too often to have yelled about something, or expressed some frustration? We don’t really know.
What we do know, however, is that the effects of this type of abuse and neglect are just as real.
https://anniewrightpsychotherapy.com/dispelling-the-myth-of-child-abuse/