Atty. Pao

If a man broke up with his girlfriend and the girlfriend suffers emotional distress, anxiety, and depression, is the man liable for psychological violence under RA 9262?

Answer: No.

The Supreme Court in the case of Caridaoan vs. People, GR No. 228741, April 23, 2025, ruled that:

“Truly, ending a relationship is heartbreaking and causes one to experience, among others, emotional distress, anxiety and depression. However, that the woman experiences mental or emotional distress in a relationship does not automatically translate to a crime of psychological violence and criminal liability under Republic Act No. 9262. Emotional anguish and mental distress experienced in intimate relationships is not the gravamen of the crime. What gives rise to criminal liability under Republic Act No. 9262 is the offender’s act of deliberately and willfully causing a woman mental or emotional anguish, public ridicule or humiliation”.

Put simply, ending a relationship — even if it causes pain, anxiety, or depression — is not in itself psychological violence under R.A 9262.