Kids who are bullied can suffer from long-term mental health consequences. These include:
- depression and anxiety
- poor boundary issues
- low self-esteem
- self-harming behaviors, such as cutting
- eating disorders
- alcohol and/or substance abuse
- difficulty maintaining healthy relationships
- bullying others, including their children if they become parents
If a child feels helpless or hopeless in one area of life, other areas will also be negatively impacted. Parents need to stay on the lookout for signs of bullying and take steps to stop it.