Young bullying victims reportedly have a higher chance of experiencing psychotic symptoms.
Wired PR News – Young people who have been bullied are said to have an increased chance of suffering with symptoms of psychosis. As reported by Reuters, researchers in the UK state that childhood bullying victims have double the risk of experiencing psychotic symptoms during their adolescence.
Dr. Andrea Schreier of Warwick Medical School and her colleges are quoted as writing in the Archives of General Psychiatry, “Chronic or severe peer victimization has non-trivial, adverse, long-term consequences… Reduction of peer victimization and the resulting stress caused to victims could be a worthwhile target for prevention and early intervention efforts for common mental health problems and psychosis.”
As further noted in the report, researchers concluded that more information is needed to determine whether there is a genetic link to psychotic symptoms, or whether victimization modifies thought processes or stress responses of children.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia User MisterWiki
