Once you have identified the signs and are sure of being emotionally manipulated by someone, there are ways to deal with it. Hingorrany suggests the following.

1. Address the issue. Make the other person aware that you know his pattern and that you are willing to help. Confronting the person is the first, and most important step towards helping them on the road to recovery.
   
   
2. Once you have faced the person with the situation and she decides to get help, remember to stay assertive and don't get carried away by what she might say to try and persuade you to change your mind.
   
   
3. If he gets help and is showing positive changes, encourage and support him. If you reassure him that he can be happy and maintain a healthy relationship without having to use someone emotionally, it will urge him to fight towards a faster recovery.
   
   
4. Try to get to the root of the problem. If you try and help her understand why she does this, it will be easier to make her stop. When people realise why they started to behave a certain way in the first place, they also realise that there are healthier ways of dealing with a problem.
   
   
5. Try to talk to a close friend or family member or even consult a psychologist. The more support a person gets while dealing with such a situation, the better. Also, if he wants to break the behaviour of using emotional blackmail, he needs to stop doing it with every relationship and not just one.

A healthy relationship is possible only if both individuals work together as a team. Using emotional blackmail or tolerating it will not help you remain in any relationship for too long. So read the signs and make the necessary changes.

Author: Sophia French, a freelance journalist.