When most people think of bullying, they think of school-age children. In fact, studies show that as many as 1 out of 5 students experiences some form of bullying. The reality is that adults can also be victims of bullying behaviors. Unfortunately, bullying at any age can have a significant impact on the mental health of both the victim and the bully. This article about bullying digs deeper into how these behaviors can impact a person’s mental wellness.
In This Article About Bullying: Mental Health Effects
Bullying is the act of causing physical, mental or emotional harm to another person based on a real or perceived imbalance of power. Acts of bullying can occur anywhere, such as on the playground, in the classroom, in the workplace and even online or through text messaging. Due to social media and mobile devices, a victim can face cyberbullying at any time of the day or night.
Examples of bullying include:
- Kicking, pushing, hitting or tripping (or the threat of)
- Taunting and teasing
- Sending explicit messages or images to other parties
- Spreading rumors or gossip
- Intentionally excluding someone
- Insults or humiliation, either in person or online
- Name-calling
While this list of bullying actions could go on and on, it’s important to note that bullying can include physical harm, verbal abuse, threats or emotional cruelty. No matter what form of bullying occurs, its impact on mental health is evident.
Victims of bullying often feel isolated, scared and alone. They can be afraid to tell anyone for fear of retaliation. These acts can cause victims to struggle with depression, anxiety and self-esteem issues. Bullying can impact the victim’s social functioning and school or workplace performance.
The Psychological Consequences of Bullying
Bullying can have several mental health consequences, in both the short and long term. In the short term, bullying can make a child feel self-conscious or like an outsider. They may feel anxious about going to school or to the club/activity where the bullying occurs.
Even children who aren’t directly targeted by a bully may fear that if they step in to defend the other child, they’ll be bullied. Some children might reinforce bullying behaviors by laughing or otherwise providing support for the children who are engaged in bullying activities. This behavior may not be driven out of a desire to bully but rather a fear of being ostracized if they don’t follow the group.
Children who are bullied are at a greater risk of depression, anxiety and loneliness. They’re more likely to experience poor health and are at an increased risk of skipping classes or dropping out of school.
Signs of Mental Health Impact
It’s important to understand the signs of bullying so you can help a friend, loved one, student or coworker get help as soon as possible. Here’s a look at the most common warning signs of bullying:
- Sudden loss of friends
- Change in eating habits
- Withdrawn
- Self-harm or self-destructive behaviors
- Trouble sleeping
- Unexplained injuries or bruises
- Increase in missed days from school or work
- Decrease in school or work performance
- Lost or broken personal items
It’s equally important to be able to identify the signs of a potential bully. Identifying these signs early may be able to prevent the bully’s behavior from getting worse. The common signs of a bully include:
- Increased aggressive behaviors
- School suspension or workplace violations
- Physical or verbal fights
- Failing to accept responsibility
- Blaming others for their actions
Bullying’s Severe Mental Health Impact in the Long Term
Many people think of bullying as something that happens at school and overlook the long-lasting severe mental health impact that being bullied or even witnessing bullying can have.
Children who are bullied or witness bullying are more likely to:
- Miss school, increasing their risk of poor academic achievement
- Experience depression
- Suffer from anxiety or other mental health disorders
If a young person drops out of school early or sees their GPA slip because of bullying, this could impact their future educational and career opportunities. Even those who continue to achieve their academic potential may find the loss of confidence or increased stress or anxiety brought on by the bullying prevents them from pursuing certain opportunities they might have felt able to if they hadn’t been bullied.
Children who engage in bullying are more likely to engage in violent or risky behaviors as adults, including drug or alcohol abuse, early sexual activity, vandalism and other high-risk or criminal activities.
According to the U.S. government’s Stop Bullying campaign, most young people who are bullied don’t have suicidal ideation. However, some children who are bullied are at risk of suicide, especially if they have other traumatic events in their history, are depressed or are going through problems at home.
Coping Strategies for Victims of Bullying
Bullying can be confusing and stressful for young people. Sometimes, the child who’s been bullied isn’t sure whether what happened to them was bullying. They may feel they deserve it, or they may feel ashamed and not want to talk about it.
In the short term, teaching young people to address bullying head-on can be helpful. Bullying is often a cry for attention, and simply not giving the bully the attention they seek could be enough to make the bully stop. Teaching young people to speak up when they witness bullying can also go a long way toward changing the culture in that school.
Not all children are confident enough to address bullying in this way, and someone who has already experienced bullying and is dealing with the anxiety, depression or confusion that it brings may need additional support.
Some useful coping strategies can include:
- Meditation and mindfulness
- Connecting with like-minded individuals
- Finding an enjoyable physical activity
- Helping others
- Engaging in therapy to help address the loss of self-confidence
If a victim of bullying is able to reframe what happened to them and recognize that the bully’s actions were more a reflection of their state of mind than anything to do with the victim themselves, this may help them heal.
Preventing and Addressing Bullying for Better Mental Health
Understanding the cause and effect bullying can have on a person’s mental health is the first step to addressing this issue. First, it’s important for victims to understand that the bully’s words and actions aren’t based on reality but only on the motivation to cause harm. Early mental health treatments can help victims effectively deal with anxiety, depression and other issues caused by bullying. Counseling sessions can also help victims boost their self-esteem and improve their social functioning.
A person displaying bullying behaviors can also benefit from mental health treatment. Through counseling sessions, a bully can identify the root cause of their aggressive behaviors and find effective ways of dealing with these issues.
If you think someone is displaying any signs explained in this article about bullying, it’s important to take action right away. The right mental health treatment can help victims and aggressors avoid long-term consequences.
Mental health professionals are available 24/7 to help. Contact us today to be connected to the right mental health expert for you.