Effects of bullying on mental health

Have you been lately noticing extreme mood swings in your child? Has he/she shown resistance in attending school? Has your kid recently reported being bullied by a fellow classmate or senior? Or have you recently changed your boy’s school and you being a responsible parent wish to be aware of bullying before it happens to your child? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you must stick to the end of this article to know all the aspects of BULLYING and how can you prevent it from happening with your younger one. 

What is Bullying?

While most parents see physically attacking or damaging property as an act of bullying- there is a lot more to it. Bullying can be both verbal and physical. It could be bullying socially (spreading false rumours about your child, or encouraging others to isolate or alienate them, or making them feel uninvited and encouraging others to do the same etc) or cyberbullying (hacking social media account, spamming, blackmailing through damaging pictures or recordings etc). 

Bullying can take a toll on your child’s mental health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 20% of every high school student experience some kind of bullying. It is important for you as a parent to understand the effects of bullying and act before it causes a dent in your child’s personality. Individuals who have been bullied or were a bully to someone as kids might end up experiencing personality disorders, chronic depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, anger issues and also face challenges in cultivating healthy relations. All of which become complex to resolve in the later stages of life.

Observe if your child is being bullied 

Surely you must be very vigilant when it comes to your child’s mental health and academics. But there are a hundred things that go unnoticed or might appear normal to you- which could be a sign that your child must be experiencing. Although the list is long as well as case-specific, here are the top 10 signs you must look out for to know if your kid is being bullied: 

1. Unexplainable injuries or bruises. 
2. Lost/ broken property (books, stationery etc)
3. Skipping class/ not wanting to attend school
4. Being irritable or triggered all the time
5. Displaying low self-esteem and worth
6. Frequent headaches and stomachaches
7. A sudden change of friend circle
8. Troubled sleep
9. Completely consumed in gadgets or strange withdrawal from gadgets/internet 
10. Frequently requesting money or other items

What should you do next?

There is a high possibility of you spotting one or none of these signs- either or you must know the next steps to act if you feel your child is in a bad situation. The first step is to ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION. It’s important to know that if your child is being bullied, and hasn’t told you about it yet then he/ she is scared to confess it to you. Hence the best way is to start by winning your child’s trust. Assuring that they are in a safe space where they will be heard and helped rather than being scolded for telling the truth. Try being their friend, and ask them about their life.
“Who did you play with at school today?”
“Who is your favourite of all students? Is there anyone you don’t like?”
“Are you excited about tomorrow’s activity?” are some friendly questions that you can ask frequently. But remember to keep them casual and comforting- infusing the trust in your boy/girl that he or she can express anything to you. 

Consult an expert 

Even though children are the closest to their parents, they still might not open up to you about a lot of things. In such cases, where you find a problem to be persistent, you must always go ahead and seek help from the right people. It could be a teacher, or the school principal, or an expert in child psychology. Remember, issues like bullying need to be acted upon immediately before it damages your child’s psyche. We at Cadabam Hospital specialise in treating cases involving child psychology. With an aim to identify and amend the problems that your child and your family is going through, our experts have been handling such cases with the utmost sensitivity. 

Looking for more information on mental health child care? Visit our website. We are reachable anytime on our 24/ 7 helpline +91 97414 76476. Book an appointment with our finest doctors or visit us at Cadabam’s Hospitals 

in case there’s anything concerning mental and child health.