Bullying has affected children and teens for years. The centre for disease control defines bullying as a form of “youth violence” towards a victim involving un wanted aggressive behavior from a bullying (individual or a group). At the heart of bullying is a power imbalance – whether perceived or actual – of social status, wealth, physical al strength or size.
Bullying can be repeated over periods of time, resulting in physical, psychological, social or educational setbacks.
Various kinds of bullying:
. Physical intimidation or harm: hitting, pushing, or spitting on a victim.
.Social exclusion: making fun of the victim, teasing and name calling.
. Threats, property destruction, making the victim do something he or she doesn’t want to do.
.Spreading rumors or lies about the victim.
Cyberbullies torment their victims publicly, privately, or anonymously through texting, apps, forums, and gaming platforms. Rumors, threats and name calling are their usual weapons, but social media and texting allow cyber bullies to send explicit images, or send images of victims to others.
Mental Health affects of bullying teens:
Bullying can effect mental, physical, and emotional health during school years and into childhood. It can lead to physical injury; social or emotional problems and in some cases, even death.
Bullied children and teens are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and sometimes long term damage to self esteem. Victims often feel lonely. Some victims may fight back with extreme
sudden violence. Stop bullying.gov reports that in 12 of 15 shootings, the shooters had been bullied.
Bullies are at a higher risk for anti social, sometimes violent behaviors like getting into fights and destroying property. They are generally school dropouts.They are more likely to get into substance abuse and alcohol. They can indulge in criminal behavior.
Bully victims have a high rate of depression, anxiety and suicide ideation.
There is no direct correlation between bullying and suicide, but bullying can contribute to the intense feelings of helplessness and hopelessness involved in suicidal behavior. Bully victims have the highest risk for suicidal behavior.
The case of the Texas shooter in United States is also a case of bullying and bad childhood.
Salvador Ronaldo Ramos who killed 21 people in The United States was bullied for having a stutter and a strong lisp, friends and family said. Ramos had “a pretty rough life” with his mother according to his neighbor, with regular screaming arguments.
Ramos was nicknamed “pelon” Spanish for bald, because his hair was cut so short when he was younger.
Mendez a night manager where Ramos worked until last month, said he went out of the way to keep by himself. Noone really knew him.
He once cut his face with knives over and over again to harm himself according to his friend.
According to his friend Garcia, Ramos was bullied hard in school over social media, over gaming, over everything.
Garcia said he tried to stand up for him. But when Garcia relocated to another part of Texas, Ramos kept getting worse, he dropped from school, he started wearing black and grew his hair long.
Bullying needs to be stopped to prevent more people from becoming violent.
The Importance of Addressing Bullying teens:
We conclude by saying that bullying is traumatic for everyone concerned, it’s important to address it as early as possible. Parents and teachers can work to ensure safety and prevent future bullying. Stress management and relaxation techniques can also help.The first step is to reach out to professionals so they can offer treatment and solutions.
