by Krystle Hernandez

Created on: February 04, 2009   Last Updated: April 27, 2009

The word "toxic" is literally defined as poisonous. When you describe a friend as "toxic," it generally means that some aspect of this person's personality or behavior is detrimental to those around him or her.

Often, it can be difficult for some individuals to determine whether or not they are involved in a toxic relationship with a toxic individual. It is difficult for many of us to consider the fact that people we have known for a long time, have become comfortable with, and genuinely love and care for are "toxic." So, in order to help you determine whether or not you are involved in a toxic friendship, here are five common characteristics of a toxic friend.

Abusive

Although for the most part toxic people put on the appearance of sincerely caring for their friends, many times these individuals can become extremely abusive. Whether it is physical, emotional, verbal, or psychological abuse, if one of your friends is engaging any of these forms of abuse, chances are they can be classified as "toxic." Take a step back and consider why you would want to let someone into your life who is harshly critical of every move you make, particularly those decisions that he or she does not agree with 100%? Toxic friends will call you names, judge your decisions, be generally unsupportive, and vocally express their disapproval of you. Keep in mind that "real" friends and individuals who know how to maintain healthy friendships may sometimes be rather crude and brutally honest, for example, "That shirt doesn't flatter you"; but they won't say, "you are stupid for thinking that he would ever love someone like you." A real friend does not put you down or call you names, no matter how much they disagree with your decisions.

Controlling/Possessive

Toxic people are often described as being very controlling and possessive. If you have a friend who becomes upset every time that you hang out with someone else or pay attention to another person rather than focusing all of your attention on them, the likelihood is that you have a toxic friend on your hands. Controlling or possessive behavior can often spring up from an individual's lack of self-esteem. Real friends, however, do not attempt to control your decisions or actions. They may disagree with you, or express their disapproval of certain actions or behaviors that you engage in, but they won't attempt to control you by making threats or engaging in other manipulative behaviors (like making you feel guilty) in an attempt to get you

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