Bullying was once a right of passage for most teens, but today’s bullies are more aggressive and cause greater emotional harm than before. There are several common causes of bullying that your teen can face at school and within their social circle that can impact their mental health. If not treated, teens can fall into a deep depression and attempt to harm themselves or commit suicide. If your teen is depressed or contemplating suicide because of bullying, teen mental health treatment in Washington can help.
Imagine Seattle provides safe and effective treatment for teen boys and girls aged 12-17 struggling with depression, social anxiety, or other mental health disorders. Our behavioral therapists will work one-on-one with your teen to teach them how to process their feelings instead of hiding from them and causing further harm. If you suspect your teen is dealing with a bully at school, call 888.346.0473 or fill out our online form for more information about our outpatient treatment program in Washington.
What Is Bullying?
Bullying is an aggressive type of behavior where they intend to cause physical or emotional harm. This is more than just good-natured teasing, which is an essential social skill. It is hurtful and can cause long-term emotional harm if left untreated. Fortunately, more schools are adopting anti-bullying practices to help teens before it affects their mental health.
There are several types of bullying that your teen can experience:
- Physical–this includes tripping, hitting, kicking, and stealing or breaking items.
- Verbal–verbal bullying includes name-calling, hurtful teasing about their clothes or personality, using racial or homophobic slurs, and intimidation.
- Social–this type of bullying includes spreading rumors or lies, mocking them to ridicule, playing embarrassing pranks on them, and encouraging others to exclude them.
- Online–cyberbullying is when someone uses social media to embarrass and mock them, including sending threatening emails, suggesting they harm themselves, and convincing others to unfriend or unfollow them.
At Imagine Seattle, our certified therapists have experience with what causes bullying and can help your teen son or daughter if they are dealing with a bully. They gain the confidence and courage to ignore their bully and stand up for themselves.
5 Common Causes of Bullying
What causes bullying? In most cases, bullies are simply acting out aggressively to cope with their own confusion over their changing thoughts and feelings. If they come from a broken home, violence may be the only coping skill they have when dealing with teens who are different than them. Here are five common causes of bullying:
- Upbringing–they are victims of bullying from a parent or sibling and grow up to become a bully as that is the only way they know how to express themselves.
- Despair/neglect–bullies are often lonely and act out aggressively to grab attention from anyone who will pay attention. This behavior will draw other bullies to them and encourage them to continue their bullying ways.
- Shame–students who don’t excel academically can sometimes resort to bullying as a means to hide their shame and embarrassment over their perceived failures.
- Envy–some bullies will target teens who appear more intelligent or are better at something than them because they are jealous of their success.
- Gender norms–some teens struggle to understand anything that is different from them and will target teens who dress or act differently.
Imagine Seattle: Your Top Resource for Teens Who Are the Target of Bullying
At Imagine Seattle, our experienced team is well aware of the common causes of bullying. It helps teen boys and girls who are depressed or feeling suicidal because someone is bullying them. They will participate in group and individual therapy, where they will learn vital skills for standing up for themselves before bullying causes significant harm to their mental health.
Reach out to one of our compassionate staff today at 888.346.0473 to give your teen son or daughter the skills they need to thrive.