Bullying & Mental Health

Devan Witter
Jan 13, 2015
2 min read

Today I am looking at the issue of Bullying & Mental Heath and the problems which they both have in common.

Firstly bullying can have many short term and long term effects on a young person. Short term it can cause depression, make them want to self-harm or commit suicide, make the victim feel unwanted or even unloved. They may develop a lack of confidence or low self-esteem and even Social Anxiety Disorder [SAD].

Long term they could develop chronic depression, or a mental health condition such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD], Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [OCD] and others. I have more information about the effects bullying can have on my website, created with the help of Fixers here: www.adviceforteachers.org.uk.

Young people can also have a mental health condition which makes them different, such as suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD], OCD, or an eating disorder to name a few. A young person suffering with a mental health condition may then get bullied because of that, this could lead to their condition being worsened or even them developing other conditions.

Some statistics:

Out of 3,600 young people 83% stated that what they have gone though has impacted their self-esteem, and that 30% of young people bullied would go on to self-harm.

According to the independent: "Liam Hackett, chief executive officer of Ditch The Label, said the survey showed "the profound effect bullying is having on children's self-esteem and therefore the future prospects of millions of young people across the UK"."

This tells me that more needs to be done about raising the awareness of both Mental Health and Bullying in schools.

If you are suffering and are not sure where to go, you can contact Get Connected, Young Minds or Time To Change.

Its never to late to speak out, contact someone today!