Brazil Psychiatry Association unveils awareness campaign on bullying
An unprecedented campaign by the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP) seeks to raise people’s awareness about bullying with the motto Delete essa ideia (“Delete this idea”). This month, initiatives should be launched on social media to educate, raise red flags, and fight bullying both online and offline.
Though often associated with a child or adolescent’s school years, ABP President Dr. Antonio Geraldo da Silva notes, the effects of bullying may spill over to other stages of life. “The school is where individuals build relations of superiority based on power and agency over their peers. That’s when abusive relations are formed,” the doctor told Agência Brasil.
Public health
In the last few years, bullying has become a major public health concern. Children and teenagers often fall victims of psychological and physical abuse on a daily basis, which may cause a severe impact on their physical and mental health.
According to Dr. Silva, the harm caused by bullying in kids may vary depending on how aggression is processed and dealt with in both school and family environments. “Depending on how resilient and adaptable they are, some children and adolescents may need psychiatric care, and often legal support as well. Depression and anxiety may also come among its effects, including the abuse of alcohol and other substances.”
When it comes to bullying, the psychiatrist went on, people should not be concerned only with the mental health of victims, who may become bullies themselves in the future. More often than not, bullies are subjected to situations where such attitudes serve as an escape valve.
“That’s why it’s crucial to combat this ever growing practice. Starting this year, the campaign against bullying will be one of our pillars,” Dr. Silva declared.
A worsening plight
Kleber Oliveira, ABP director and childhood and adolescence specialist, noted that kids used to tease each other with games and jokes that did not get the same repercussion as today—in theory.
“The difference today is the intensity and magnitude brought by technology. Nowadays, certain behaviors can be recorded and shared, which can make kids insecure,” he argued.
