Abuse is when one person, over time, hurts another, either physically or emotionally. Usually, it�s a pattern or cycle, meaning it keeps happening again and again in similar ways. It usually continues until the abused person decides to get help. Sometimes, someone else --- a friend, family member � recognizes the abuse and jumps in to help.

Here are the different types of abuse:  

Physical abuse is when someone physically hurts another person. Hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, burning, hair-pulling, choking and cutting are some examples of physical abuse. Physical abuse often leaves bruises, burns and other physical scars. A lot of times, a physically abused person will try to hide their wounds, with clothes, sunglasses or in other ways.

Emotional abuse is constant insults, criticisms and other hurtful words that make a person feel bad about themselves. Emotional abusers might tell victims that they�re fat, ugly, worthless or will never amount to anything. Emotional abuse is often done in private, but it can also be done in front of other people. 

Psychological abuse is designed to scare a person. Psychological abusers want their victims to lose touch with reality and be dependent on them. They might threaten to punish or harm the person or someone the victim cares about, in order to get the person to do what they want. They often set up victims. They might, for example, tell someone to go to the store, time the person, and then punish the person if late. Psychological abuse can also include stalking and keeping a person from sleeping.

Sexual abuse is basically forcing someone to do something sexual against their will. Rape and incest are the most obvious forms of sexual abuse. Incest is any type of sexual activity between relatives. Sexual abuse includes a lot of sexual behaviors � everything from fondling a person�s genitals and having sexual intercourse to forcing someone to watch porn or perform sex acts for money.

Financial abuse is when someone uses money to control another person. Maybe the clearest example of this is the husband who cuts off his wife�s credit cards when he�s angry at her. It can also include things like stopping someone from going to college so they can�t get an education, which would lead to a higher paying job, or forcing someone to quit a job and become financially dependent.