Although people most often associate abuse with physical violence, it can come in many different forms including verbal abuse, a type of emotional abuse in which a person uses words, body language, or behavior to cause emotional pain or distress to another person. Although it is not physical and does not leave visible bruises, it is just as damaging and leaves emotional scars in the person subject to it.

Persons suffering from mental illness (PSMI) are one of the collectives most exposed and, at the same time most vulnerable, to open demonstrations of social rejection expressed verbally such as disrespectful comments, insults and mockery. Offenses may come from passers-by, co-workers, neighbors, and sometimes even from family members and persons considered friends. The victims of abuse think of themselves as of a lesser person and, most of the time, they accept the role of the victim and adopt a passive attitude given that they don’t know how to stop the abuse. But the consequences of the offense are not only hurt feelings and miserable self-esteem; they go as far as to constitute the primary obstacles to social inclusion which, in turn, is essential to advance in the recovery process.

There is a latent need for professional tools to conduct effective interventions with the clients of mental health services to:

a) Empower the latter to act in situations of social and community violence.

b) Mitigate the effects that continuous rejection, disrespect, and mockery have over the persons with severe and prolonged mental illness.