Safeguarding Adults Services

Emotional or psychological abuse is any action which has an adverse effect on an individual's mental well-being, causes suffering and effects their quality of life and ability to function to their full potential.

This may include the threat that other types of abuse could take place or a situation where a person is led to believe that this could happen.

Psychological abuse can include:

• Being ignored 
  
• Being bullied 
  
• Being humiliated or ridiculed 
  
• Being harassed 
  
• Being subjected to loud noise 
  
• Being pressurised or manipulated into making decisions 
  
• Living in a culture of fear or coercion 
  
• Disregarding a person's opinions, personal history or life experience 
  
• Removing or losing significant personal effects which are part of a person's individual personal history 
  
• Having opinions and behaviour explained solely in terms of a person's age or disability 

Indicators of psychological abuse can include:

• depression
• withdrawal
• agitation
• loss of confidence and anxiety
• tearfulness
• ambivalence
• increased levels of confusion
• feelings of isolation
• unexpected or unexplained changes in behaviour e.g. inappropriate dressing,
• angry, physical or verbal outbursts
• self-abuse, low self-esteem or self neglect
• demanding or attention-seeking behaviour
• sexually inappropriate or overtly promiscuous behaviour