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Psychological effects of Bullying last a Lifetime

Submitted by Elizabeth Bennett on Wed, 11/18/2009

A recent study was conducted by the Finnish National Social Insurance Institution and the Sigrid Juselius Foundation in Finland. This involved children starting at age 8 by using the Ritter Scale in screening for emotional and behavioral problems. This group was followed up to the age of 24. What was studied was how bullying affected the subjects psychologically.

In the findings of females, 70% were more likely to be hospitalized for treatment or have psychiatric medications prescribed to them between the ages of 13 and 24. As for the males, 60% were more likely to require psychiatric care if they were bullies, frequent victims and four times as likely to receive care if they were both a victim and bully. It was determined that this abuse in childhood should be a marker for determining psychiatric problems later in life and if these problems are not treated early on, they could evolve into greater problems which can affect society as a whole.

Folks, we do not need to go to Finland to try and figure this out. Yet, I am grateful the study has been shared with us here in America. I have been saying this all along and found it in my own research. These childhood bullies grow up with anti-social personality disorders such as psychopath and sociopath. Also, they develop narcissistic, borderline, OCD and other issues too. I see this all the time. One thing we need to start doing is investigating the background of the childhood bully and stepping in when necessary. A bully is getting this behavior from someone. Also, for a child to be so angry, he is more than likely being hurt by someone else. As for the victims, they have a whole other set of issues. Many develop clinical depression, social anxiety, PTSD and some even have OCD problems as well. Suicide becomes an issue here as kids who are abused by their peers and to the extreme will commit or attempt Bullycide which is suicide due to bullying and peer abuse.

Please, lets get this stopped while they are young. Otherwise, they grow up and carry these issues over into adulthood. Even though what the victim suffers can be treated, it cannot be cured. As for personality disorders, these cannot be treated and many who have them are the ones who refuse to see them. Our prisons are overflowing with bullies. After all, our children are our future. We need to keep them safe.

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