by Belinda Brown

Created on: May 19, 2008

Physical domestic abuse is recognized and is now dealt with harshly within the legal system in Australia, but the darker side of domestic violence is Emotional abuse. Sadly, it is not being recognized for it's brutality within a relationship.

Emotional abuse may not be physical, but it is just as psychologically damaging and what is worse, there are very few signs that someone is being emotionally abused, mainly because nobody understands it. Usually, the victim becomes severely depressed; they become insecure of themselves, develop a low self esteem, and may even become or have been suicidal.

The victim's social and professional life suffers, so he or she becomes completely isolated and dependent on the abuser. What is worse, it has a huge impact on the victim's future relationships, whether they are personal or professional. Offenders of Emotional abuse are not only male, but female as well.

The aim the abuser wants to try and achieve by using Emotional abuse on their partner is to crush his or her self esteem, to make the victim believe they are inadequate, to isolate him or her from family and friends, so the abuser is the only influence in the victim's life and to have a sense of control over the victim.

This kind of control usually makes it difficult for the victim to end the relationship, so they continue to put up with the abuse. Most of the time, the victim does not know that they are being abused because the abuse is not physical, so usually, the victim would place the blame on themselves. Most people actually believe the insults that are thrown at
them.

The victim will feel depressed or suicidal, so he or she would seek help through a G.P. The G.P would detect relationship problems and refer the patient to a relationship councilor. This can be dangerous because it does not deal with the core issue; it does not
address the offender's behavior.

There is a need for more information and support on Emotional abuse that is easily accessible, as well as professional advice and awareness, so both the victim and the abuser can recognize the signs of abuse early on in the relationship, before it gets worse.
Maybe the abuser will be able to get help. Once the victim understands that their partner is emotionally abusive, the victims themselves will be able to get the help they need and can start to rehabilitate their lives, and to stop placing the blame onto them selves.

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