World mental health day:
💔 When Exclusion Is Emotional Abuse — Especially by Those in Power
Emotional abuse isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it looks like refusal to communicate, public exclusion, and deliberate silence from people who know exactly how much it hurts.
When councillors, community figures, or organisations ignore messages, refuse inclusion, and block disabled or vulnerable people from participating, that’s not “professional distance” — that’s emotional abuse through ostracism.
It’s the kind of abuse that says:
“You don’t matter.”
“Your voice isn’t welcome.”
And when it’s done repeatedly, it chips away at your confidence, your trust, and your sense of belonging.
This is institutional cruelty — when people with power choose to punish others through silence instead of resolving issues with fairness and humanity.
🌱 How to Protect Your Mental Health
Acknowledge what it is.
Repeated exclusion and refusal to engage — especially from officials or organisations — is emotional harm. Recognising it as abuse helps you stop blaming yourself.
Don’t internalise their silence.
Their refusal to speak or include you is not proof that you’ve done something wrong — it’s proof that they’re avoiding accountability.
Document everything.
Save emails, screenshots, and dates. When abuse is systemic or institutional, evidence becomes your shield.
Call it out, calmly and truthfully.
Silence protects abusers, not victims.
Speaking up — even if it shakes — is how truth breaks through.
Find spaces that value you.
Community doesn’t have to mean a council or organisation — sometimes it’s the people who listen, share your values, and care enough to include you.
Seek mental health support.
You don’t have to process this alone.
Reach out to:
Mind: 0300 123 3393 (UK)
Samaritans: 116 123 (UK, 24/7)
Shout: Text 85258 (UK, 24/7 text support)
💙 Abuse doesn’t stop being abuse because it’s polite.
When leaders or organisations weaponise silence, exclusion, or gatekeeping — that’s still harm.
Real leadership listens.
Real community includes.
And real kindness communicates.
If they truly cared about our town and our people, their actions would look very different.
#EmotionalAbuse #CommunitySupport #KindnessMatters #InstitutionalAbuse #DisabilityAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #Accountability
Alt text:
A mental health awareness graphic from Samaritans for World Mental Health Day. The image shows six simple cartoon-style illustrations of people with supportive messages underneath. The text reads:
“This World Mental Health Day we’re thinking of anyone who is...”
Below are six images with captions:
A person marking a calendar — “taking it day by day.”
A person holding a large purple heart — “struggling with their mental health.”
A person standing alone — “feeling alone.”
A person crouched and hugging their knees — “afraid to ask for help.”
Two people with arms around each other — “supporting someone else with their mental health.”
A person standing beside a large clock — “on a long waitlist for support.”
The tone is warm, compassionate, and inclusive, encouraging empathy and awareness for anyone finding things difficult.
