Bullying can be very murderous thing to witness if you have already then you must be knowing it already.
As per a report published by the National Bullying Prevention Center, more than one out of every five students reports about being bullied. The actual figure is precisely every 20.8% of students in total.
Bullying is a bad thing; there’s no denying that however, what often people don’t get is, how dangerous it is. The harassment at teenage by anyone, parents or by co-mates can do some severe damage to a teen brain.
Sometimes the damage done to the brain is so severe that it can lead to suicide and drug abuse. Bullying can cave in heavily on a teen’s mind, let’s discuss how?
It Can Lead A Teen To Anxiety and Depression
Being a teen is a great responsibility, alas when we get it, it is already too late.
Many neurosurgeons believe that bullying at adolescent can harm a person’s brain badly and can leave a person with a higher risk of developing diseases like agoraphobia, anxiety and depression.
Some people may shrug it off just as teenage behavior problems, which is just as dangerous as above-written diseases. Adolescent depression and anxiety sometimes can also lead a teenager to suicide.
The Messer Becomes The Messies
The bullying and its vague cycle don’t stop at affecting the victim’s mind and body only, and it can make life hell for others living around the victim too.
Yvon Delville, a researcher and a professor at The University of Texas at Austin in a study found that “the victims of teenage bullying will not only suffer from high level of stresses but will also become bully themselves at some point of their lives.”
In situations like these make teenage behavior management even more critical.
Negative Stress
You must have heard that some people work better while under stress, this function is triggered by the release of Cortisol hormone. Cortisol is a particular hormone that is vital for our body to do specific tasks more efficiently.
Another such hormone is Epinephrine which is often called survival hormone. This hormone sets off our “flight or fight” mode, which we have been using since long to keep ourselves alive.
Short bursts of these things are good but if the release becomes persistent, then there it will be problematic.
Teenage bullying results in the accidental release of good hormones, constant release of such hormones can cut our immunity system into the half.
Excessive release of such hormones can also make us prone to Alzheimer’s disease.
The Bullies
If a teen is bullying another teen it is not that; the bully is out of the range of harm, the bullies have significant issues in the future too.
Many of the teenage bullies are likely to abuse alcohol, take drugs and engage in unprotected sexual encounters at early and later stages of their lives.
Street fights, criminal convictions, domestic violence and vandalising property are other significant issues the usual bullies likely to face during teens and as adults.
Teens who witness the abuse/ Bullying
It is kind of a given that bullying will affect the victim and the bully itself, but to inspire the awe, the bullying incidents even affects a witness negatively too.
As per United States of America’s official anti-bullying site, stopbullying.gov kids who even witnesses someone harassing someone soaks some of the negative stuff.
Bullying witness can develop the increased use of tobacco, drugs and alcohol. Traces of mental health problems, like anxiety and depression, are also found in the witnesses of bullying incidents.
Seeing a bullying incident can traumatize a teen to such extent that s/he may start missing or skipping the school to avoid such things happening to them.
Ending Note
Teenage brain development is a complicated issue. The human brain needs particular attention and care. It needs to be protected from the evil world, without the proper protection the mind is prone to severe mental health issues.
So, next time when someone says bullying is a part of school life, slap these facts on the person’s face. Bullying is, was and will never be alright and it is not a way “man up” a person.
Many neuroscientists are still working on tracing the effects of bullying on a teenager’s brain, and results will unfurl the debate even more.