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Mental Health
It is recognised that abuse both in childhood and in adult life is often the main factor in the development of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders, and may lead to sleep disturbances, self harm, suicide and attempted suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.
A diagnosis of a mental health problem can be used by a perpetrator to abuse further. For example:
- Saying a woman couldn’t cope without him
- Saying she’s ‘mad’
- Not allowing her to go out alone because he is her ‘carer’
- Speaking for her ‘You know you get confused/you’re not very confident/you don’t understand the issues’
- Telling her she is a bad mother and cannot look after the children properly
- Forcing her to have an abortion because ‘she couldn’t cope’
- Threatening to take the children away
- Threatening to ‘tell Social Services’- implying they will take the children away
- Telling the children, ‘Mummy can’t look after you’
- Deliberately misleading or confusing her
- Withholding her medication
- Withholding or coercing her into using alcohol or drugs
- Undermining her if she discloses abuse.
Women with a mental health issues will be in a particular vulnerable position and are likely to find it even more difficult to report domestic violence. She is likely to suffer a sense of shame because of the stigma attached to being ‘mentally ill’ and may feel even more powerless.
Some refuge organisations are unable to offer accommodation to women with severe mental health needs because they have insufficient resources to provide suitable support. However, other refuges will be able to offer accommodation if a woman decides to leave her abuser. Single Access Point to Birmingham Refuge will be able to make sure that a woman with mental health issues is placed in a refuge which can provide or access the right support.
Depression tends to ease when a woman is not being abused but this will not happen immediately. She may experience flashbacks long after the abuse has ended. She may have been offered medication such as tranquilisers, anti depressants or sleeping tablets instead of being given the opportunity to talk.
Women cope with abuse in a variety of ways. Some may turn to alcohol and drugs to block out the pain, others may self-harm or even attempt suicide.
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