What is mental abuse?
Psychological abuse is often termed as emotional or mental abuse. This is categorised by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behaviour that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression or post traumatic stress disorder. The effects of mental or emotional abuse can be painful and destructive, both in short and long term. Survivors often feel it is difficult as they are left to deal with low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and the feeling of helplessness.
What are the signs of abuse?
Possible signs include intimidation, coercion, ridiculing, harassment, treating an elder like a child, isolating either from family, friends or other regular activities, use of silence to control behaviour and yelling or swearing which results in mental distress.
This leads to often the victim ending up with insomnia, low self-esteem, uncooperative and aggressive behaviour, lost of appetite, weight loss, tearfulness and anger.
Who can be an abuser?
An abuser could be anyone. It could be someone you know; someone you work with or someone you live with. It could be your partner, husband or wife. It could be staff who cares for you, like a nurse or assistants in your home. It could be your family or friends.
Can you charge someone for mental abuse?
Filing a complaint against the abuser in workplaces with the HR department is the right place to initiate your complaint. However, it is a difficult process for a victim. Additionally, it could be challenging to prove, as victims often endure additional emotional and financial damages by pursuing it.
Of course, if it is by way of verbal abuse and it is inflicted on you by your partner, husband or wife, you can proceed to consider your options as to whether you want to obtain an Apprehended Violence Order against your partner, husband or wife or whether the time has come for you to make a decision whether to walk out of your relationship.
After putting up with years and months of humiliation, negating, criticising, character assassination, yelling or public embarrassment, you need to consider your option as to whether you need to complain about it and put an end to it.
In Australia, you can contact 1800 RESPECT or 1800 737 732 in order to have a confidential discussion about the mental abuse that you are put through, to seek counselling and support services. Of course, please call 000 if you are in any danger.
Please also visit www.1800respect.org.au for further information, and if you are worried whether there could be traces after you have visited that website, there is also a specific link providing you with tips to use that site in order to ensure that it cannot be traced. Kindly proceed to check the site www.1800respect.org.au. An interpreting service is also provided if you contact 13 14 15.
Never feel that you are alone, and you have to put up and shut up.
If you wish to discuss your legal options, please do not hesitate to contact Freedman & Gopalan Solicitors on 02 8917 8700.