Psychological abuse – sometimes known as coercive control – can take many forms. Women’s Aid define coercive control as “an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten a victim”. According to statistics from the charity, 95 out of 100 victims of domestic abuse have experienced coercive control.

“When people think of domestic abuse they think of physical violence,” Scott explains to Stylist.co.uk. “But domestic abuse is very often so much more than that.”

“For many women who live with domestic abuse there will be no scars, bruises or broken bones, but for some it can take their life. No one ‘kind’ of abuse is more serious than any other.”

Often abusive behaviour “starts small and gets more and more serious”, Scott says. It could start with name-calling and humiliation, or the isolation of the victim from friends and family. And “regulation of women’s and children’s everyday lives is the end result”. “Coercive control is a 24/7 abuse, and it continues after separation,” Scott says. “At Scottish Women’s Aid we’ve heard stories of women forced to eat from the floor and others whose partners have not let them leave the house for days at a time.”

The function of coercive control is to make someone dependent – isolated from support networks and access to vital services, victims can be exploited and abused.

This could come in the form of:

Isolation from friends and family
Being deprived of basic needs (such as food)
Being monitored online (such as through spyware)
Controlling aspects of every day life – where a victim goes, who they say, what they wear or when they sleep
Being deprived of access to medical services
Verbal put-downs, humiliation and degradation
Controlling of finances
Making threats or intimidation

If you believe you need help, you can contact the Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline – run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge – on 0808 2000 247, or email helpline@womensaid.org.uk. Women’s Aid also provide a Survivor’s Handbook, which provides practical support and information for women experiencing abuse.

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What is psychological abuse and could it be happening in your relationship?