290 Chapter 14: Abuse, violence, and self-defense
Physical abuse—as well as other kinds of abuse and violence—can cause
mental health problems. Women who have been abused often become
afraid or sad, and sometimes they suffer from depression. When a woman
is abused, her body needs to heal—and so do her mind and spirit.
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse happens when someone insults a woman, threatens her,
makes her feel frightened, abandons or isolates her, or treats her as though she is
worthless. Some people abuse disabled women by saying they would be better off
dead, or they are a burden and do not deserve to live.
Emotional abuse can also happen when someone:
• speaks badly about a deaf woman
with people who are not deaf.
• calls her names or shouts at her for
doing things differently.
She’s deaf. She’ll never
understand anything. Just
tell me what medicine she
needs to take, and don’t
waste your time with her.
You stupid woman.
You’ll just spill the
water. Get out of
here!
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007