October is Domestic Violence Month. Violence at the hands of an intimate partner happens more than most people think. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence , as many as 1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner. One in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence. Young women are most often abused by someone they love — particularly between the ages of 18 and 24, creating patterns of abuse that can last decades.

Physical violence is the most common form of abuse discussed during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it should not be ignored. But there are other forms of abuse that domestic violence survivors are hesitant to share.

Almost a quarter of women — some studies say as many as 50% of women — will experience some form of emotional abuse in a close relationship, either parent-to-child or intimate partner relationship. Emotional abuse can include verbal, emotional, financial, and spiritual abuse. As common as it is, it’s discussed less frequently and garners less of a spotlight because it can be more covert.

Thanks to the advocacy of the hundreds of domestic violence awareness groups and organizations nationwide that take physical violence and emotional abuse seriously, lawmakers in many state legislatures this year crafted policies to help expose abusers.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 5202 , a bill Democratic state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado wrote. The law, which went into effect the day Abbott signed it, June 11, creates a central database of repeat abusers convicted of assault, sexual assault, and stalking. Anyone can search it, and it may help prevent coupling with an abuser.

Utah passed two bills this session that may help domestic violence survivors. Senate Bill 117 helps law enforcement officers know how best to report a domestic violence incident and boosts funding to the Department of Public Safety for such cases. House Bill 43 organized a domestic violence data task force dedicated to studying the concept.

Kentucky just implemented a new law in June that may offer victims of domestic violence more protection from their abusers. The “Safe at Home” law allows people fleeing domestic abuse to shield their new home addresses from public record without a court order.

Our court systems still need help. Actress Angelina Jolie recently urged Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) via a letter to pass Piqui’s Law, which would “require domestic violence training for judges, mediators and other court professionals on the effects of child abuse and trauma.”

There’s more work to be done, but we’ve come a long way in understanding the dynamics of domestic violence, including emotional abuse, and must continue to implement policies that aim to prevent it.

Nicole Russell ( @russell_nm ) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She is a mother of four and an opinion columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas.