My Early Childhood and Late Adolescence Depression Problems from Bullying
Growing up, I faced lots of humiliating challenges. To begin with, I was born and raised in a strict family. I am nonetheless, not ashamed to say that my biological father was a no-nonsense person. He was always responsive to the family and made sure that we had all that we needed. My mother, on the other hand, was only but a housewife but entirely dedicated to see her family progress and move in the right direction. That, however, is not to mean that she was easy to come by. My mother was a tough woman who put stringent measures on us not to go astray. No mistake would go unpunished. I believe that our parents tried their best to keep us disciplined; however, the techniques with which they affected their measures might have been somewhat inappropriate. This is because, during my childhood and early teenage, I understood it as a norm for a child to lament. I feared to express my sad feelings for fear of punishment. As such, even after I joined the junior school and graduated to the subsequent levels, I found it tough to report bullying at school due to the fear of being judged, scolded, or even punished for mistakes that did not commit. Depression would creep in, and I would feel lonely and inferior from time and again, but I would not dare try to raise my voice to oppose anything from anyone because to me, that was a grave mistake, which was punishable.
Various questions would go through my mind on how to manage my situation. I wondered how I could approach my parents, who would not give offer me a listening ear on the same. It was also hard for me to report bullies to the teacher since the same teachers would even make jokes about hair and the students laughed. I felt so insecure with no one to turn to. Everything around just seemed to mock me. I only had no friends except for one boy who really enjoyed my company. With him we shared a lot – and also did homework together had fun when the bullies never showed up. Life was not usually good the joy of each day remained unpredictable.
I remember back in primary level, fellow students would take advantage of my quietness and lash out insults in the name of fun. They would, thereafter, laugh and even tease or threaten to beat me if I attempted to escape the scene. I was always scared of what could unveil itself in the next minute. I would be depressed and stressed over issues that I ought not to have had worries about. I once reported the case to my mother, but she only told me to be strong and not to bother anyone. On insisting, she urged me to stop complaining a lot since, to her, complainers were losers. I had no option and could not bargain further since she had a hot temper and would easily get anger at my slightest attempt of disapproving her advice.
To cope with such a lifestyle, I became furious and my self-esteem lowered. I was hot tempered and would keep all matters that concerned me to myself. Despite my sharpness in class and ability to learn quickly, I was highly introverted and feared social gatherings. Due to low self-esteem, I experienced the fear of sharing opinion publicly anticipating the disguise that would accompany the probable rejection. Even in high school, my participation in group works and assignments was minimal. I was ever silent and confined to my own thoughts. This kind of personality, unfortunately, made my stay in high school more difficult than I had presumed. The verbal bullying continued, but at this point in time, I was already used to such, and would not mind. Instead, I would laugh alongside the people making jokes on me and go about my businesses. But all in all I feared letdown, disguise, shame, and depression.
As noted by Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari, bullying heavily impacts the rate of depression in adolescents. According to their study, Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari suggest that not only victims of bullying are susceptible to depression, but also the bullies themselves. Various other studies also suggest assert that depression is consequent to victimization. In other words, victimization, which is often experienced through bullying, can quickly get an adolescent depressed and from that depression, they are likely to bully fellow peers. To do away with bullying and depression, as such, various efforts have to be put in place that, first, eliminates depression in young adults before addressing victimization itself.
In their article, Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari define bullying as a smaller group of aggressive conduct. The misconduct is often geared towards manipulating relationships by either directly or indirectly exerting verbal or physical harm on them. Bullying, additionally, is regarded intentional by the researchers and is done repetitively and in a manner that can be manifested in multiple ways. The most critical aspect, in this case, is the fact that bullying incorporates power imbalance. In most cases, the victim tens to have lesser ability to defend themselves from mistreat. Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari further note that verbal bullying, just as the one I experienced during my teenage, is the most common on a global scale. Notably, the pupils who witness bullying are considered to contribute by either defending the victim or withdrawing from it. The article by Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari further weigh depression in adolescents with the self-reported cases of depression; observable signs and symptoms in adolescents and the disorders that occur as a result of depression. Clinical depression, as such, in accordance with the research, is identified as the conditions that have been detected with organized diagnostic interviews as well as they do warrant referral treatment.
Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari assert that for a victim of bullying to become depressed, there has to be an increased frequency of victimization in either one on multiple ways such as frustrations, conflicts, abuses among many other forms. During adolescents, bonds especially friendships are considered of much importance, as such, traumatic happenings, which are closely connected to peer friendship have the potential of causing severe trauma. Severe trauma at such stage in life has the full potential of causing depression (Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari). Additionally, low self-esteem as well as elevated emotional dysregulation after victimization accelerates the process to depression (Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari). As such, it shows that the preexisting mental disorders facilitate the connection between victimization and depression. Conversely, an adolescent who possesses negative self-norm may expect rejection from people they are not familiar with. At this point, depression is considered to have distorted the social information processing in them (Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari). Depressed adolescents moreover, have impaired defensive skills as well as lack of development in social skills. In many instances, victims of bullying are regarded helpless, submissive, showing low self-esteem and are often defamed amongst peers. Such characteristics may predispose them to bullying.
Similarly, bullies too according to Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari, tend to have various characteristics that single them out from their peers. Such individualities include positive arrogance on violence, aggressiveness, manipulation habits as well as lack of empathy. Such individuals tend to hang around a peer group with similar misconducts. Aggression, therefore, earns an individual within such peer group respect maintains their social status. Studies, in this case, have compromised the fact that bullies are closely linked low self-esteem, instead, recent research claim high self-esteem (Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari). Being a bully has been found to increase ladies’ self-esteem. This is due to the fact that the aspect of power and control determine the various kinds of bullying (Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari). Bullies who, therefore, fail to accomplish their goals are therefore faced by the wrath of depression most especially, when they face stronger opposition from their targeted and are intimidated. Victimization from bullying, too, has various depression associated effects. Many studies have revealed that there exists a relationship between self-reported depression, suicide, victimization and bullying effects (Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu, and Sari).
Conclusion
A closer look into my personal narrative and its relevance to the concepts of the scholarly article showcases just how severe bullying can get. Bullying, in the beginning, may be unnoticeable, most especially when done verbally. Nonetheless, its effects cannot be easily reversed when the take course. Campaigns, lessons, general awareness on the control of bullying should be put in place to help save the vulnerable in society. This is due to the fact that not only victims of the victimization from bullying are affected but also the bullies too. This creates a picture of imbalance and degradation of qualities among able individuals in society such as reduced self-esteem as well as negative self-perception. Since bullying mostly begin early in adolescence, teachers should consider addressing the issue by educating students on the same and monitoring them to ensure that the right qualities remain all through. If this is not done, the globe at large may face serious problems raising individuals with self-doubt. Students may also drop n performance or lose interest in schooling when they fail to find at least one friend who gives them hope, reason, and courage to keep going.