How Bullying effects Mental Health |
What Is Bullying? At least most people have at minimum some concept of the types of behaviours that constitute bullying. Its latest definition of the act describes it as a type of violence from one person or group to a child, adolescent, or teenager that "prejudices physical, psychological, and social health." Er, of course, power imbalance is at the heart of the problem and can be caused by many things that cause one person to pick on another. The divide is genuine (money, muscles, or a place at school), but equally, it has also been an imaginary one. How bullying affects mental health You may be bullied, which can lead to mental or emotional health problems, and ultimately the effect can also be seen in your physical health. Long- and short-term effects can have devastating impacts on your social life and your emotional wellbeing, in some instances resulting in bodily harm or even death. Both victims and bullies are severely affected by bullying, which means they have a higher risk of developing any mental or behavioural issue. Bullying Is Common Answer One in five students between the ages of 12 and 18 is bullied at some point. Source: National Centre for Education Statistics As scary as it may sound, one in five students aged 12 to 18 is bullied at some point during their high school career. For example, that was a response from bullied students, who said it changed how their peers behaved towards them. Children are never bullied by kids smaller than them. Your kids are bullied for being poorer than the others. Less than half of all students bullied in school will tell an adult. The Underside of Tech: Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is any bullying that occurs in whole or in part over the Internet. Cell phones, tablets, and computer navigation are all learned even in elementary school. Cyberbullying is the bad side of the Internet. This can have a significant impact on the mental health of adolescence. Virtual bullying, or cyber bullyingcyberbullying, can cause depression, anxiety, and poor academic performance in adolescent victims. It can involve anything from ridiculing someone on social media to sharing embarrassing pictures of someone, or even face-to-face. Verbal Bullying Verbal bullying: lashing out, harassing, or terrorizing with words. From this result, then victims of verbal bullying feel embarrassed, ashamed, or even afraid. Racist, sexist, sexual orientation, age, or other text statements are jokes or verbal abuse discrimination comments. Bullying victims also have lower school performance and drop out more often. This can impact educational and occupational success for a lifetime. Bullies themselves are disconnected from school and also less likely to have connections with protective influences, such as school counsellors. Social Bullying Social bullying is an indirect approach to inflicting harm on someone in matters of relationships or reputation. It does not bode well for the mental health of those singled out, as it hurts their sense of belonging. It is a human tendency to want to belong without being rejected as part of a group. Social bullying can be carried out in person or online. It is typically difficult to identify social bullying because it can be either direct or indirect. Shaming can lead to dire outcomes for targets of social bullying. Social bullying has a clear goal, and that goal is to somehow exclude a person from the rest of the herd. This additionally indicates that the individual will already feel lonely and think that they have no one to rely on for support. The impact bullying has on a child can last a lifetime. Bullying is detrimental to a student's mental health, relationships, academic performance, and physical health. Disability bullying DisablistDisabilist bullying is a type of bullying that involves the harassment of those with disabilities or perceived disabilities. These bullying types can be physical, verbal, exclusive, cyberbullying, discrimination, prejudice, or emotional. It may also involve exclusion from social groups and activities. DisablistDisabilist bullying can take many forms: mocking someone by calling them names related to their disability, failing to accommodate their needs, spreading rumours or false information about a disabled person, or intentionally ostracizing someone because of their disability. The impact on disabled individuals suffering from disability bullying can be substantial, leading to feelings of anxiety, depression, and confidence issues. Conclusion It all comes down to the dangers of bullying and having mental health consequences for everyone and everything involved. Bullied children may arrive home with vague injuries, disappeared books, or broken items. They might have sleeping problems and stop doing their favourite things. They may go home hungry if they are scared to go into the cafeteria during lunchtime. This may lead to them feigning illness to skip school, causing damage to their academic performance. While some may draw back from their social interactions, others will start harassing other people. Self-injurious behaviour or fleeing are also ways in which victims can try to cope. The bullies, on the other hand, may get more violent and have friends who are also bullies. Bullying could also be a response to the pressure of stress and abuse they face in their own lives. They might engage in the blame game, shirking responsibility for their behaviours. Having unexplained wealth or assets is another red flag as well. |