The online magazine Everyday Feminism recently published an insightful article about the potential for depression and other mental health issues to be used as tactics to control one partner in a relationship. The bottom line:
“Depression doesn’t lead to abuse, and not all people with depression are abusive. It’s more accurate to say that sometimes, abusive people also have depression. And if people with depression are capable of controlling behavior, then they are also culpable for it.”
As advocates, we have talked with many people whose partners employed these tactics. Abusers may use their partners’ sense of responsibility, compassion, and their love and affection, making the tactic difficult to recognize.
The article is available here.