Emotional and Psychological abuse includes a range of non-physical controlling behaviours that cause emotional damage and undermine a persons sense of well-being.

Emotional and Psychological abuse includes:

·      Telling someone they are worthless,

·        Telling them no one else wants them,

·        Forcing someone to do things at an exact time or in an exact way,

·        Undermining a persons actions, thought and beliefs,

·        Telling someone they are weak and could not manage to look after themselves on their own,

·        Making someone believe they are mad,

·        Telling someone that the domestic violence and abuse is their fault.

·        Not allowing someone to have visitors,

·        Controlling who a person is friends with,

·        Not allowing them to go out,

·        Not allowing someone to see their family and friends,

·        Not allowing someone to be left alone with other people,

·        Not allowing someone to use the phone, send letters or emails.

·        Locking someone in a room or house,

·        Not allowing someone to go out to work, not allowing someone to go to college or evening classes,

·        Accompanying someone everywhere that they go in order to keep control over what they do, who they see and what they say.

·        Telling someone they are a bad parent,

·        Getting children to say and do things to upset someone,

·        Encouraging children to get involved in the abuse.

·        Abusing someone’s children or pets,

·        Damaging possessions,

·        Accusing someone of lying when they are not,

·        Telling someone they are fat, ugly and useless,

·        Making someone believe that no one else likes them.

·        Threatening to harm someone, or to harm their children or pets.

·        Threatening to have someone locked up saying that they are mad,

·        Threatening to have someone deported or withholding care if someone is aged, ill or disabled,

·        Telling someone they will find and kill them if they leave,

·        Threatening to abuse someone in front of their children, family or friends.

Emotional abuse is often difficult to recognise. It can be very subtle, often being overlooked by a person’s friends and family. The person affected may not even think or feel that abuse is taking place.

Emotional abuse can affect women and children experiencing it in many ways. It can leave deep psychological scars and can seriously damage the self-confidence of the person experiencing the abuse.