Recognising Narcissistic Abuse and the Implications for Mental Health Nursing Practice

Abstract

Emotional and psychological abuse are components of what are now more commonly accepted as aspects of domestic violence in addition to physical assault. Narcissistic abuse formulations of domestic violence are lesser known concepts and not recognised in UK health care in general, nor commonly in UK mental health services and by default mental health nursing. The effects on the individual who has experienced narcissistic abuse can be fatal or extremely debilitating, long lasting and individual recovery can be a complex process. This article will argue that the language and formulation of narcissistic abuse should be at the forefront of the multidisciplinary teams’, and in particular mental health nurses’ knowledge in order that victims can be directly supported or signposted to support to enable timely interventions and in-depth understanding.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Amina Adan and Vicky Burton (University of Hull) for sharing their knowledge in domestic abuse and coercive control. Thank you to Rachael Clark for her encouragement. I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewer and journal editor whose extremely valuable comments improved this article. Finally, I would like to thank those who have experienced narcissistic abuse for sharing their experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interests was reported by the author(s).