At the information sharing session on school violence on the afternoon of May 22, Dr. Do Thuy Dung, Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (M4), Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital, shared about a patient suffering from depression, intending to commit suicide after a long time of being bullied by friends at school.
A doctor gives mental health advice to a young girl.
Accordingly, PDT (14 years old, 8th grader, residing in Bac Ninh ) was an excellent student throughout grades 6 and 7. By grade 8, his academic performance began to decline. T. was negligent in his studies, quiet, and always depressed, even having suicidal thoughts.
For about a year now, T. has been having trouble with a group of female classmates. They often talk badly about her, mock her appearance, and think she is "snobbish" and looks down on others. Sometimes, they even pick on her because they think she looks... mean.
The group of girls often threatened and insulted T., sometimes slapping him in the face with their notebooks during recess. Sometimes, after school, the group of friends blocked T. outside the school to cause tension and even beat him.
This group of friends also threatened that if she told her teachers or parents, she would be beaten more, so she did not dare to tell. This female student once told her mother about having some problems with her classmates, but her mother said that it was a child's problem and told her to solve it herself.
The prolonged bullying made T. always worried, stressed and scared. He easily got angry with his relatives, his studies declined, he missed school more often, became more sullen and quiet, ate poorly and slept restlessly at night. Every time he went to school, T. often wore a mask, a black long-sleeved shirt and a hat.
"There are many forms of bullying such as: physical bullying (hurting someone's body or damaging their property); verbal bullying; social bullying (using relationships to hurt others); cyberbullying; sexual bullying (using sexually offensive language, touching sexually sensitive body parts)..." - Dr. Nguyen Hoang Yen stated.
About 2 weeks before being admitted to the Mental Health Institute by his family, T. had voluntarily stopped going to school. He just stayed in his room crying, had pessimistic thoughts, and did not want to live. He had suicidal thoughts to escape, or cut his wrists to relieve stress.
"The patient was diagnosed with severe depression without psychosis, suicidal ideation, and self-destructive behavior after a long period of being bullied by friends without finding help," Dr. Dung shared about the case.
According to Dr. Dung, the patient was treated with medication and psychotherapy. After 21 days of inpatient treatment, the patient had an improved mood, reduced suicidal thoughts, controlled and reduced self-destructive behavior, ate better, and had improved sleep.
Don't ignore the stories of bullied children.
Doctor Nguyen Hoang Yen, Department M4, Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital, said that school bullying is a behavior that has a dangerous impact on children's health and psychology. The hospital has received many cases of school violence and cyberbullying that have caused children to become depressed, have poor academic performance, have behavioral disorders, and have suicidal thoughts...
Doctor shared information about a patient who attempted suicide due to school violence.
Children who are bullied may suffer physical injuries if they are physically attacked, but the psychological damage is even more serious. One study also found that individuals who have been cyberbullied report higher levels of depression and suicidal ideation, as well as increased emotional distress, hostility, and delinquent behavior.
Although the harm caused by school bullying is very serious, many parents and teachers still think that it is a "childish conflict", ignore it or let their children solve it alone. Some teachers call in students who bully their friends to remind them, but the punishment or reminder is too light, not ending the bullying.
"Parents and teachers should not ignore any "bullying" shares from children. Parents and teachers need to find a way to work with their children (students) to completely end the bullying situation without letting it escalate and lead to serious consequences" - Dr. Yen recommends.8i9
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