It was one of the commonest words searched for via the Yahoo search engine in 2021, but what exactly is ‘gaslighting’?

From Coronation Street to Love Island, gaslighting has been used as a storyline or had a show's producers accused of enabling such tactics on participants.

However, in everyday life, the story behind gaslighting is a much more stark and frightening reality.

Gaslighting, was first coined in a 1938 stage play entitled 'Gas Light', in which a young woman's husband slowly manipulates her into believing she is descending into insanity so that he can steal from her. It later became a British film in 1940 and then a Hollywood remake in 1944 starring Ingrid Bergman and Angela Lansbury in her debut role. 

By now, it is the term used to describe a form of emotional abuse and coercive control.

The victims of gaslighting are made to feel mentally vulnerable by the abuser, leading to their manipulation. Coupled with the erosion of victim's self-esteem and self-worth over a period of time, a state of depression and anxiety ensues. Often with no signs of psychical abuse, gaslighting makes the person question their own reality.

In turn, seeking help or assistance from those around the victim can seem more and more futile, as the mental stranglehold of the abuser prevents the victim from having their situation properly understood.