How to handle emotional blackmail?

A Story by Om

An inquiry into the many hidden abusive parents out there

Every morning you wake up to hear your mother or father ranting on about how good for nothing you are - they say that "you're a loser". Their irrational expectations or behaviour prompts you to advise & request them to seek professional help. Instead of taking time to consider this, they throw a hysterical fit & a tirade involving physical assault & damaging your property. Especially in the Indian nation where parents are allowed to do pretty much what they want, they appear to misuse this authority. Rather they call you all the abusive names under the sun & tell you that you are rude, disrespectful & have a mental illness. It makes things worse when they are a psychiatrist themselves. Ironically when seeking an impartial psychiatric opinion, nothing abnormal about you is reported after a mental health assessment...neither do other people agree. Parents are not amicable to at least having some counselling. They seem to think that being honest, exercising self respect & challenging them when they are trying to do something wrong all indicates psychosis. It all appears to stem from being unable to fulfil their dreams...falling victim to a conspiracy. Ironically, they too couldn't fulfil their career but when trying to touch that topic, they explode with another violent & loud episode...can't leave them, as nowhere to go...and will be hounded for being a selfish, irresponsible child...they keep ordering their child to take their own life...wonder who the mentally unstable person is here? Always arguing...often even with unknown people. Oh God, what torture. You must eat what they decide you should if dining outside...you can't say no...they hit you in public...they laugh at your tears...I can think of a few disorders they are suffering from straight away...what to do & where to seek help from? Even if you do as they say, they will still find a way to begin a war...remaining silent also prompts beatings...such parents are arguably the worst criminals in the world. Whilst having an epileptic fit, they scold & hit you for having a "psychotic episode"...if you burn your hands, they slap you instead of assisting in administration of first aid...countless examples replayed in the child's mind, even self evaluating in case the parents are right after all...sadly, from a normal person's viewpoint, this is all wrong...they tell you to get lost if something doesn't work out to their satisfaction & laugh with pleasure whilst devouring your property...but when you tell them that it is not advisable to accompany them publicly, they force you to come with them...one day, the child too will also develop a serious mental illness from repeated abuse...and be told that your downfall is due to their curses. They try to defame you in public or threaten by telling the police how bad a child you are. All you can do is apologise on their behalf, when the public respond knowing something isn't quite right with their mental state...especially when they laugh at your pain. They keep you awake at night about trivial things such as not taking someone's business card the previous day or how despite something going well or to plan, complaining that it did not, with no rational reasoning. Is this to do with hormonal or chemical imbalances, a sign of the onset of a geriatric disease such as dementia or senility? Why else all this mental torture & bullying? One cries themselves to sleep wishing that they never wake up - for respite away from their worst enemy: their parents...