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Safe and Well

Spotlight report on domestic abuse and mental health

Safe and Well focuses on victims and survivors of domestic abuse who experience mental health difficulties. We recognise there is a broad spectrum of severity and types of mental health problems and the impact will vary between individuals. The relationship between domestic abuse and mental health will also be different for each person. However, this report shows there are common barriers, concerns and gaps. It highlights some of these issues and the interventions and initiatives aimed at specific groups of people.

The report is part of our Spotlight series which focuses on how some victims and survivors of domestic abuse are hidden from services and/or have unmet needs and proposes recommendations for both practitioners and policymakers.  It brings together data from our Insights dataset and previous research including Cry for Health, Every Story Matters, Psychological Violence report and the Drive project. It also looks at evidence from practitioners, academics and survivors.

This evidence is used to make recommendations for change to improve the response to people with mental health problems who are experiencing or perpetrating domestic abuse.

  • 83%

    of victims with mental health needs had visited their GP

    before accessing support, compared with 60% for victims without mental health needs

  • 22%

    of victims with mental health needs had visited A&E

    before accessing support, compared with 15% for victims without mental health needs

  • 66%

    of victims with mental health needs were in financial difficulty

    and struggling to pay for essentials or could pay for essentials with nothing left

When I did get seen by IAPT they went through the whole assessment and then at the end said I wasn’t suitable...I really couldn’t believe that I was being told after pretty much a year of being assessed multiple times by different NHS mental health teams that there was nothing they could do for me.

Kathryn, survivor

Further research and reading

Hands typing on a laptop on a desk with a stethoscope in the foreground

Health

Research and resources for healthcare professionals to improve the response to supporting victims of domestic abuse.