What Are the Mental Health Effects of Bullying?

Children in schools and high schools have an increased chance of becoming victims of bullying. Kids at these ages are mainly developing their moral compass, and we can't entirely blame them for behaving aggressively since we, the adults, are responsible for their counseling. To better understand how kids can get bullied and how they can deal with it, we have put together this piece of content. 

 

1. What are the types of bullying?

 

To start, let's understand the different kinds of bullying that kids can become victims of. 

 

Physical Bullying: Physical bullying is also one of the most common types of bullying ever since the whole concept started. It's basically a physically stronger kid than others hitting, kicking, punching, shoving, or damaging property. This is also a more severe type of bullying that affects the child's physical and mental state. 

 

Verbal Bullying: This type of bullying takes the form of calling others negative and humiliating names, insulting them or making them the subject of a bad joke, cursing, racial or other offensive remarks, and teasing them in a way they don't enjoy. Even though these are just words, verbal bullying can take its toll on the victim's mind if done for too long. 

 

Social Bullying: Social Bullying is pretty hard to pinpoint since it is mostly done behind the person's back; you hardly know who it is, ruining the social reputation of the victim. This can be done through spreading false rumors, playing nasty pranks or jokes, mimicking their imperfections and faults, excluding them from social gatherings, damaging their social reputation by other means. Social Bullying leads to dire consequences as, in the long run, it will alienate the child, which could damage their personality growth and development. 

 

Cyber Bullying: Cyber Bullying is defined as the intentional and continuous harm dealt to a person through the usage of mobile phones, computers, and other electronic devices. Since it is so easy to bully someone on the internet and get away with it, there is a high risk of getting picked on while using it. This type of bullying includes spreading hurtful rumors, impersonation, intentionally blocking someone out, abusive and hurtful messages. 

 

 2. What are the signs of bullying?

 

The following are signs that have been observed in people suffering from bullying:

 

Emotional and behavioral hints of bullying

● Change in sleeping patterns

● Change in eating patterns

● Frequent anger or tears

● Mood swings

● Feeling ill in the morning daily

● Withdrawing from people

● Starting to stammer

● Increased aggressiveness and unreasonable behavior

● Refusing to talk about wrong things

● Beginning to pick on siblings

● Consistently losing money or stealing.

Physical hints of bullying

● Unexplained bruises, marks, cuts, and scratches

● Coming home with missing or damaged belongings or clothing

● Coming home hungry or angry.

School hints at bullying

● Not wanting to go to school

● Changing their walking route to school. 

● Don't want to attend school using the bus/tram/train

● School grades are consistently falling.

Other hints of bullying

Sometimes hints of bullying can be subtle:

 

● Often sitting alone or being excluded from groups at school

● Frequently targeted for teasing, mimicking, humiliation, or ridicule at school

● Can't speak up in class and feel insecure or appear frightened.

 

3. What are the mental health consequences of bullying?

 

Bullying has become a part of our lives, even though there have been countless movements and attempts to end it. The reason for this is that bullying might not feel like a big deal to the bully, but the victim could be inflicted with permanent mental damage. Even though bullying doesn't cause learning and developmental disabilities like Autism, it can certainly make it worse and prevent the child from overcoming the challenges and difficulties they are facing. Here's a list of how bullying can affect children:

 

• Social isolation

• Changes in eating habits

• Sleep disturbance

• Feelings of shame

• Low self-esteem

• School avoidance

• Symptoms of anxiety

• Bedwetting

• Higher risk of illness

• Psychosomatic symptoms (stomachaches, headaches, muscle aches, other physical complaints with no known medical cause)

• Poor school performance

• Symptoms of depression

 

4. What are some tips and strategies, including how schools can help? 

 

As we mentioned before, stopping bullying completely is something that cannot be done on a global scale. However, there are some methods and tricks children can use to avoid getting bullied in the first place. Here's a list of strategies, methods, and tricks that have proved to be most effective to avoid getting bullied:

 

 

● Not Giving the Bully a Chance. If you aren't there, you can't get bullied. It is highly advisable that children avoid getting bullied by simply not giving the bullies a chance to pick on them. Obviously, you can't avoid them in class, but you can eat at a different table, relax in a different area and avoid school parts that bullies usually visit. 

● Stand Your Ground & Feel Good - Your body posture and facial expression could be the reason why bullies might be picking on you. Stand up tall and walk your way bravely; chances are, the bullies might not want to risk a confrontation with you. Kids who appear confident and aren't overweight have less chance of getting bullied. Less time on the sofa and more for exercising. 

● Two is Better than One - Getting yourself a buddy, preferably someone who is stronger than you, is an excellent solution to ending the bullying. Besides, two or more pose a bigger threat to the bullies than you on your own. So, go out and make good friends who will stand up for each other.

● Ignore - There have been instances where the bully stopped picking on someone just because the victim began to utterly ignore their presence no matter what the bully did. Try ignoring their actions and moving past them. 

● Never Hit Back - Bullies will be stronger than you on average, so don't ever hit back. You also could end up in trouble even though you are the victim here. 

● Tell an Adult - If all else fails, the best thing is to tell an adult and handle the situation responsibly. 

 

People living in Atlanta, Georgia, who are being bullied because of being different from others their age should contact I PEEP BXS. They specialize in providing professional help to children and young adults diagnosed with Autism or other learning developmental disabilities. Led by a behavioral analyst at I PEEP BXS excels in assisting individuals to overcome the challenges they face and secure a happy, quality life filled with opportunities.

 

Resources:

https://www.ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/types-of-bullying/
https://www.ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/signs-of-bullying/
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/how-does-bullying-affect-mental-health
https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bullies.htm