Bullying and Depression
Bullying and Depression
Depression is a mental illness which affects the mental health of an individual. This mental condition can affect an individual irrespective of the gender and age of the individual. There are various causes of depression which varies one case to another. Among these causes, some of these causes develop since childhood and exist for decades. The most common causes of depression include increased stress, lifestyle changes, and incidents which occurred in the years since birth. Events which take place in childhood play an important in improving or deteriorating the mental health status of the respective child. Bullying is one such incidence which several children face in their schools or their friends network. American Psychological Association has specified bullying as one’s aggressive behavior where he intentionally causes injury to another individual.
Effects of bullying and depression:
Bullying and depression are closely associated with each other. Both these incidences affect an individual from childhood. The thinking and mental condition of the individual changes when he faces the situations where he is made fun of in the school time. Bullying mainly affects the confidence of the individual. Also, his self-image is poorly impacted due to increased cases of bullying. As per some of the recent researches performed by top authorities in the field of mental health, it is found that children often feel themselves like victims when they are bullied in school. The feeling of victimization proves to be dangerous for the children in most of the cases. This is because the child who is bullied at times does not dare to fight the circumstances of bullying. This makes him emotionally and physically prone to bullying and similar conditions. Their attendance in school and performance in the academics also gets affected in a worse manner. Such situations lead to a long-lasting effect on the minds and bodies of children facing the same.
Signs associated with Bullying and Depression:
Bullying often progresses to conditions like depression, anxiety, and other psychological-related disorders. Here are some of the most common symptoms of bullying which parents need to focus on and treat them as warning signs to take care of their children:
- Lose of interest in studies and hesitation to go to school
- Evident troubled sleeping combined with increased frequency of nightmares
- When the child returns home, then he has injury marks present on his body.
- The child eats more than other days out of anxiety.
- The self-confidence of the child gets reduced
- The child stays isolated in his room and does not wish to talk to anyone in the family or even among friends.
How to cope with bullying and depression linked with it?
Family members, especially parents, must try to implement specific measures which will help in healing from the effects of the bullying. Even adults need to take effective solutions to help them deal with the consequences of bullying, along with depression.
- Consult Psychologists: Parents of children who are affected with bullying need to make sure that proper consultation is taken from medical experts such as Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and Social workers in this field. Adults can make sure that they discuss the core cause of their depression and reach an effective solution for their current state.
- Psychotherapy: Here, family counseling, individual counseling, or group counseling with the same age children can prove to be beneficial for the children. This will help them get optimistic towards their near and distant future.
- Medication: Anti-anxiety and anti-depressant depressants are also added to the treatment plan of the patient if the above two solutions fail to provide promising results.
Our society is evolving, and several path-breaking changes are occurring around us. Bullying has also affected different individuals in the LGBT section due to lack of awareness and acceptance at the same time. Bullying, which leads to depression, should be monitored in the best possible manner with the guidance of the medical and related experts.
