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Bullying can happen in any environment, to people of any age.
By D. Begg — Written on Jan 05, 2018
Bullying is so much more than one kid pushing another at recess.
Bullying is a threat towards individuals of any age — it can happen in any environment, at any age, and in any culture.
While you might not always pick up on certain signs of bullying, it’s important to remember that they might not even show up right away after the incident.
In many cases, bullying can affect many elements of an individual as they develop, causing issues they can hold on to later in life. While this is never a set in stone issue, it can cause a lot of various problems that can make an individual feel more and more isolated.
Those who suffer the most serious symptoms of bullying are at a much greater risk for development issues throughout their future that affect their career, relationships, and even family.
Keep in mind the various types of bullying:
- Verbal Bullying: Bullying that is spoken, such as teasing, names, sexual harassment, and threats.
- Neglect Bullying: Also known as social bullying, this kind of bullying is meant to hurt the victims social standing either in their group of friends or in a school setting. This can include: rumors, ignoring someone, manipulating people, and social embarrassment.
- Physical Bullying: This is very straightforward and has to do with physical violence directed at a target.
This article will give you an idea of what can happen if you don’t step in to help stop bullying in your community. Hopefully, this article will encourage you to take a stand against injustice sooner rather than later or just turning a blind eye:
1. Poor emotional health.
Emotional health is a huge factor that can be affected because of bullying and depression. There can be a natural disconnect felt between the individual being bullied and the rest of society, further isolating them from finding where they are most comfortable.
2. Lack of confidence.
Having a lack of confidence is normal to some extent in this society today, but it can be highly amplified if the bullying continues without any intervention. This can cause social issues in the future for this individual that can be detrimental.
3. Substance abuse.
In more serious cases, bullying can lead to depression, which can make someone turn to abusing substances that they have access to. This can further push them into an escalated state of depression.
4. Disorganization.
When dealing with young adults and children who are bullied, their sense of organization will be out the window.
You’ll often find children who are being bullied also have no sense of organization, they often seem frantic as well. This can affect their schooling and future goals in a serious way that will stunt their societal growth.
5. Problems at school.
One of the many "symptoms" of depression include problems at school. This can be a huge problem for children who want to reach their goals for their bright futures. By being bullied, it can tear them down over time and make them feel worthless, in the end giving up on their goals.
6. Increased violence.
Increased violence is a very common factor formed because of the causes of depression and bullying.
When a child or adult is going through a bullying problem, you might notice strange outbursts that seem to come from nowhere, anger directed at everyone around them, and completely shutting down help and guidance.
7. Mental illness.
Mental illness is a lifelong effect of long-term bullying and severe causes of depression. Of course, this is different for everyone, but it’s important to remember that you can make a difference by stepping in and offering support to the people who need it most around you.
8. Health ailments.
Intense stress can be caused by depression and extensive bullying, this can lead to heart issues, lung, liver, and more diseases that can eventually be fatal if left alone.
There is no reason why any bullying should cause these kinds of health ailments, but there shouldn’t be any bullying to begin with, let alone with this level of toxicity.
9. Social problems.
When individuals are bullied, they will generally pull away from involvement in communities and even their own friends. It can lead to having a huge sense of mistrust, which no one should feel especially as a child.
Symptoms of depression also have the same kind of weight when it comes to social stigmas.
10. Bullying others.
Probably one of the worst directions bullying and depression can turn to will lead to the victim taking out their frustration on others. This can lead to the victim being a bully and just continue this toxic cycle.
Bullying is something that’s never wanted. It should never be accepted. It can happen to anyone of any age. This idea of unbalanced power between individuals can create lifelong issues that no one deserves to deal with.
No matter what kind of bullying is occurring, the connection between bullying and depression is obvious.
Keep in mind that whenever you see any type or level of bullying you should step in if possible. Don’t let this kind of behavior unfold without consequences. Handle bullying with a level head and together we can stop bullying for good.
Will you be standing up against the injustice you see in your community? What can you do to minimize the effects of bullying and bullying as a whole in your life?
Donna Begg is an expert editor, a mentor, analyst, and a researcher.