Emotional distress forms the basis of damages which results in injury to someone from intentional acts or acts of negligence from another party. Originally, these types of damages were only awarded when there is an element of physical harm present as well, but now many courts consider it as a separate category.
For example, in cases of sexual harassment and defamation, emotional distress may be the only harmful impact on a victim. In such cases, testimony from a psychiatrist or a therapist is examined for the depth of the emotional distress and damages are awarded accordingly.