I use my book and presentations to continue to deliver the message that bullying during school years can lead to devastating long-term mental health impact. It is true that it does not happen to everyone who has been bullied, but it does happen to many victims of bullying. We must continue to work hard to maintain a bully-free environment in all schools.
Even now there are folks out there who strongly support the idea that “bullying is not a big issue” and believe that all children must learn to defend themselves no matter what. Well, every child has a personality and they are not all the same. If a child is able to ignore the bullying and/or able to defend himself or herself, that is great. But there are many others who are not able to do so, and that is not their fault. It’s important that parents and school staff understand that they must focus on the fact that the school environment needs to be safe for “ALL” children, not just the ones who are able to take care of themselves.
The problem is that when a child is having trouble with a mental health disorder, it is not always visible outside. In my case, I was able to hide it for 5 years, and finally opened up when it became almost impossible to carry on with day-to-day activities. School staff must be trained to detect issues and must learn how to work with parents to help the students. If these students can get some professional help right at the time when they are being bullied, then it is likely that they will be able to avoid ling-term issues. Adults must keep in mind that for most children being bullied is an extremely stressful and traumatic event.