s of maltreatment and was a stronger predictor of a wide range of problems (Kaplan et al., 1999). Emotional abuse was the most significant predictor of both depersonalization disorder diagnosis and depersonalization severity (Simeon et al., 2001). Emotional abuse often goes unnoticed because it does not leave any marks. The damage is done on the inside, but the damage that is done is detrimental to the individual and will affect them for the rest of their lives.The last form of abuse to look at is neglect. Neglect, like all the other forms of maltreatment, has long lasting effects. Researchers have only begun to explore the effects of neglect on children. The findings so far paint a gruesome picture. Language deficits are common among neglected children. Children who are neglected had more problems in receptive and expressive language than physically abused children and the non-abused control group (Augoustinos, 1987; Gauthier et al., 1996). One could assume that this is because these children are not getting the language exposure through verbal interaction with their caregivers. Individuals who have reported neglect in childhood were also more likely to report current symptoms of anxiety, depression, somatization, paranoia, and hostility than those who were only physically abused and the non-abused control group (Gauthier et al., 1996). As well, neglect was shown to be a strong predictor of some dimensions of psychological functioning and general psychological problems (Gauthier et al., 1996). Neglect, as the research points out, has a lasting impression on individuals.One would think that in year 2002 child abuse would be a thing of the past. There is more education and exposure on this topic than there was in the past. Unfortunately this is not the case. Child maltreatment is still very much alive in our society. The struggles that these children have to go through are often unbearable and leave them vulnerable to a variety of proble...
