Understanding Emotional Abuse | Military OneSource

Overview

Emotional or psychological abuse may include excessive jealousy and personal insults or verbal harassment, as well as threatening language suggesting the use or future use of physical abuse.

Everybody deserves a life free from fear, control or harm. If you’re experiencing emotional abuse, help is available.

The Family Advocacy Program is the Defense Department program designated to address domestic abuse. FAP supports service members and their spouses, partners and families to prevent abuse, promote victim safety and offer treatment and rehabilitation for the family unit.

Chat With a Victim Advocate

Find help for domestic abuse from the victim advocate closest to you by using the Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate Locator — whether you’re in the United States or overseas.

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What is emotional abuse?

Taking time to reflect on your relationship — whether you are married or in a long-term relationship — can be challenging. But paying attention to your thoughts and feelings about how your partner treats you is an important commitment to yourself.

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, and it goes beyond physical abuse. It also includes emotional abuse, which is a form of abuse used to isolate, frighten and control a partner. This abuse seeks to take away an individual’s freedom and strip away their sense of self — and is designed to isolate them from support and deprive them of their independence. Every situation is different, but emotional abuse may include:

Unwanted teasing
Excessive jealousy
Possessiveness
Controlling access to money
Restricting access to a vehicle or mode of transportation
Making degrading statements
Monitoring activities and communications
Threatening to harm a child or relative
Damaging property
Isolating a partner from friends and family

How to get help

A domestic abuse victim advocate can help you understand your options, inform you about reporting domestic abuse in the military and connect you to civilian support outside your installation if that is your desire.