School is out — but bullying continues online. While some share what they are going through with being bullied or doing the bullying, many others suffer silently, leading to serious issues that may be life threatening.
The ‘former’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said bullying has serious and lasting negative effects on mental health and overall well-being of youth involved in bullying in any way. Negative outcomes from being involved in bullying include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, poor social functioning, poor school performance, lower grade point average, poor school attendance, and involvement in interpersonal violence or sexual violence.
The CDC also reported that bullying behavior and suicide-related behavior are closely related. Any involvement in bullying puts someone at a higher risk for feelings of helplessness and raise risks of suicide. A report published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, advised that bullying victimization is a strong determent of adolescent health, including suicidal behavior, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, substance use, and other adverse impacts on health and well-being.
One issue that needs more attention is social media usage and its impact on mental health. The CDC reports that high school students who frequently use social media are more likely to experience bully victimization, persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness and suicide risk. They report that 77% of students surveyed report that they frequently use social media.
While the info seems like a lot of bad news, the good thing is that there are things that can be done. According to Mental Health America, bullying can be addressed by starting early, teaching children to be assertive, stopping bullying when it is identified, listening to and supporting children who speak up about bullying, and teaching kids to take action when they witness bullying. It’s important that our youth know there are consequences for bullying others.
Info bullyingprevention.org. Get more info at standforthesilent.org.