Psychology Professor Natalie Sachs-Ericsson says those verbally abused as children have 1.6 times as many symptoms of depression and anxiety as those not verbally abused and were twice as likely to have suffered a mood or anxiety disorder during their lifetime.

Childhood abuse of any type has the potential to influence self-critical tendencies, she said. "Although sexual and physical abuse don’t directly supply the critical words like ‘you’re worthless,’ the overall message conveyed by these kinds of abuse clearly does.

We must try to educate parents about the long-term effects of verbal abuse on their children, Sachs-Ericsson added. The old saying about sticks and stones was wrong. Names will forever hurt you.

Sachs-Ericsson co-authored the study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, with FSU psychology Professor Thomas Joiner and researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.