Bullying
Emotional effects
Unfortunately bullying is very common and can have a serious affect on a person's physical and mental health. Bullying can make a young person lose their self-confidence, feel bad about themselves and have difficulty making friends. This can lead to a fear of returning to school, college or work, where the bully may be.
This can all cause great anxiety, resulting in loss of sleep, depression and even thoughts of suicide.
What can be done?
Tackling bullying requires a joined up response from everyone in the community. It is not just the responsibility of the victim. If it is taking place at a school all teachers, students and parents should know how the school deals with bullying, and all aggressive and bullying incidents should be acted upon. All workplaces should have bullying and harrassment policies. If you feel you're being bullied at work check this out to make sure you get the support your're entitled to.
Tell someone about it
Whether at school or work bullying can only be resolved if you tell someone about it. The bullies get their power by keeping you isolated. Tell at least one other trusted person what you are going through and ask for their help. Bullies tend to stop once they know others are aware of what they are up to.Getting support and advice and confiding in someone will help to ease the burden off yourself. For the mental wellbeing of the victim and bully it is important it's sorted out sooner rather than later.
