Mental Abuse
Mental abuse is when one person manipulates another person's sense of reality often to get the victim to comply with the abuser's desires. Mental abuse is also called psychological or emotional abuse. Both men and women can be abusers, but frequently it is a husband or boyfriend who victimizes their wife or girlfriend.
Mental abuse can include:
- Humiliation
- Unreasonable jealousy
- Sarcasm
- Hypercriticism
- Threats
- Domination
- Controlling money
- Coercion
- Ridicule
- Name calling and put-downs
- Intimidation
Mental abuse often leads to physical abuse.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of mental abuse, help is just a phone call away. Please call the Women's Center for Healthy Living toll-free at 1-800-391-4309. We are standing by day and night and all calls are confidential.
Effects of Mental Abuse
The mental abuser controls and manipulates their victim in order to gain power in the relationship. And although mental abuse may not leave visible cuts or bruises, it does serious damage to a woman's soul and self esteem. Women who have been mentally abused often experience:
- Low self-esteem
- Guilt (that they may have caused the abuse to happen)
- Depression
- Drug or alcohol use as a coping mechanism
- Isolation
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Suicidal thoughts
Mental Abuse Help
If you or someone you know has been a victim of mental abuse, help is available. The Women's Center for Healthy Living treats women recovering from mentally abusive relationships and works on restoring their confidence. Many women believe the mental abuse was their own fault. Our caring licensed and trained therapists work with each woman to build her self-esteem and help them to understand that they are not to blame. Our services include:
- Individual and group therapy classes.
- Holistic treatments including yoga, stress reduction techniques, nutrition education, and more.
- Dual diagnosis treatment for women who have turned to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with mental abuse.
At the Women's Center for Healthy Living, we are dedicated to empowering women in a safe, supportive, gender-specific setting. We treat the body, mind and spirit in an effort to rebuild every woman's self-worth and self-confidence.
If you have suffered from mental abuse help, hope and healing is possible. Contact the Women's Center for Healthy Living today, toll-free at 1-800-391-4309. Call us anytime day or night for confidential assistance.
