Chloe says Zoe is super-hoey. Chloe made a TikTok of Zoe kissing Joey. It was an innocent creep-shot. But then it went viral. And got likes. Now Zoe’s checked out of school for two whole weeks and barely leaves her bedroom.
Bullying is a serious issue, affecting the mental health of its victims, and stemming from unmet needs and unhealthy interpersonal strategies of the perpetrators. Proactive measures are required to reduce the frequency and severity of incidents of bullying. These include early identification, prevention and therapy.
We’ll take a look at why and how bullying impacts the quality of life of its victims, paths out of bullying behaviour, and the risks of neglect.
Bullying involves a person or persons (the perpetrator) in a position of power over another (the victim), who act or speak in a way designed to injure. Typically, the behaviour is habitual, so that the victim has reason to fear recurrence.
Bullying poses a mental health risk to its victims. Typical symptoms include increased levels of anxiety, performance deficits and a retreat from public and social spaces. Without treating the effects of bullying, these effects will have an enduring imprint on victims’ behaviour, persisting into their adult years.
At the same time, perpetrators are at risk. Bullying is antisocial behaviour, and persisting puts the perpetrator at risk of not developing the behaviours that allow successful integration into adult life. In addition, menacing behaviour seldom is as voluntary as it seems. Bullying often is the result of an underlying psychopathology, and bullying behaviour should be read as a warning to treat its underlying causes.
Nearly ten years ago, a global survey sponsored by Vodafone – spanning eleven countries – found that teenagers regarded cyberbullying as a bigger health risk than drug abuse. And that’s not because they dig the dope. Two years ago, a Pew Center survey of American teens, found that over half reported being victimised online.
The ongoing trend in cyberbullying follows increases in the reach and frequency of use of online platforms. Physical bullying requires direct contact between victim and perp. Shame – an important secondary effect of bullying – is limited to direct witnesses, and the reach of their gossip. But social media allows victimisation at a distance, followed by the instant dissemination to a global audience. Switching schools to avoid the bully is not an option.
Several tools are available to reduce bullying. These are available for both victims and perpetrators.
Pre-emption
A key task is to avoid bullying to begin with. Steps include:
Seek Help
Several resources are available to help:
If you are experiencing bullying or feel that someone close to you may be carrying out bullying behaviour, sessions with a registered counsellor are an effective way of managing the trauma that comes from being bullied, as well as dealing with the psychopathology that gives rise to it. Interventions include talk therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, and even art therapy.
Sessions with a counsellor are an effective way to ensure that the intervention fits the specific needs of the people concerned.
