Responding to psychological abuse

Psychological abuse, also known as emotional abuse, involves any verbal or non-verbal actions that cause mental anguish, fear, distress, or a sense of worthlessness in another person.

Who may be at risk of psychological abuse

older people
people living with disability
people who rely on others for care or support
people experiencing isolation, mental health issues, or cognitive changes.

What psychological abuse can look like

Psychological abuse may be subtle and difficult to detect. It can include:

yelling, insulting, threatening, or humiliating the person
intimidation, including menacing behaviour or gestures
gaslighting – manipulating someone to doubt their own thoughts, feelings or memories
isolating the person from family, friends, or support networks
blaming, controlling, shaming or criticising
constantly withholding affection, attention, or communication
threatening to withdraw care, services, or support
using disability, language, or age to belittle or control.

What to do if you suspect psychological abuse

If the person is in immediate danger phone emergency services on 000 (triple zero).

If you are a NDIS provider or aged care worker

Report it within your organisation, following your safeguarding or incident policy.

Consider whether to make a report to:

the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, if the person is a NDIS participant
the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, if person is in aged care.

Work with the adult to plan the next steps

Practical steps you can take:

If you can speak to the person alone, sensitively raise your observations and ask them if they want support to address the abuse.
Offer to support the person to access advocacy, counselling or legal advice. Refer to the contacts for adult safeguarding assistance page for information about who to contact.