When it comes to bullying victims, it becomes apparent that bullying has serious and lasting effects. Kids that have been bullied often experience a series of emotional problems that can last the rest of their lifetime. The effects of bullying are detrimental and dangerous for the victim, getting help for the victims of bullies is crucial.

Many bullying victims take on years of therapy and treatment in order to help get over the psychological pain that bullying has caused.  In many tragic cases, this type of physical and emotional toll on a person can damage their self esteem so much that it results in suicide by the victim. In an effort to prevent that kind of unfortunate ending, here are a few tips about bullying and how to know if your child is a victim of bullying.

Signs that may indicate your child is a bullying victim:

• Comes home with unexplainable injuries
• Comes home with damaged clothing or other belongings
• Frequently “loses” items like books, electronics, clothes or other valuable items
• Tries to find excuses to avoid going to school, is often sick or has other excuses
• Hurts themselves like with cutting, burning or eating restrictions
• Loses interest in friends or participating in extra curricular activities
• Acts afraid of going to school or school activities
• Appears moody, anxious, depressed or withdrawn
• Feels helpless
• Exhibits low self-esteem

Another way to help prevent your child from being one of the many bullying victims is to know what the risk factors are for victims of bullies. When it comes to the bullied victim, the children, teens and adults who are the highest risk are those who don’t get along well with others, have few or no friends, is less popular than others their age, does not conform to social or gender norms, has low self esteem or if they are suffering from anxiety and depression. If your child is exhibiting any of these behaviors they might be at risk for becoming a bullying victim.

It is important to help your child become more social and help them choose friends that are kind and loyal. Having your child around a healthy environment and good group of friends is helpful in keeping them from becoming a victim that has been bullied. It also helps them see their self worth and self value, raising their esteem to where they are able to handle bullies by not allowing themselves to become a target.

When it comes to the serious issues surrounding bullying victims, there are many emotional issues involved. If your child or teen has been bullied and does not show signs of recovery or returning to being their regular self, it is a good idea to consult outside help in the form of counseling or a support group. Many parents forget that even though the actions of the bully has stopped, that does not mean their teen or child has recovered from the emotional damage they received as one of the bullying victims. Bullying can often do long-lasting damage to a person’s self esteem. Without being able to resolve some of these emotional issues, your child is at risk of becoming a bully or he or she might project the lingering feelings of rejection and hurt onto themselves. Children and teens who do this often will face struggles with eating disorders, cutting, burning and other forms of self mutilation. In the most severe cases, teens may not be able to handle the bullying, or may not be able to cope with the after effects of bullying and instead will resort to drastic measures like suicide to escape their pain.

With bullying, the first thing to do in order to protect your child is to stop the bullying. This may be through encouraging your child to report the incidents to a teacher or the school administration. As a parent, you may have to help your child report the bullying to school administrators. The next step is to get help for your child. For some children and teens, they just need an outlet for their emotions maybe through art, writing in a journal, sports or other outlets. However, some teens face higher-risk emotions and need to be professionally treated. Through counseling or support groups, bullying victims can learn to move on and let go of their pain.

sources: http://www.stopbullying.gov