Bullying and the Brain

Blog Post One: Bullying and the Brain

Date: 6/07/2021

Hi again! This is the first official blog post, and this time, it is on an article from dana.org. If you want to visit, the link is below. If you want to see the article, the link is also below in the credits section. But, the first article I want to talk about is on Bullying and the Brain. A repeated tormenting behavior can cause an ACE. An ACE stands for Adverse Childhood Experience. An ACE can be created from physical abuse, neglect, or sexual abuse. This can undermine a child's sense of safety and stability. In 1998, a study was conducted to see the effects of childhood ACE on an adult. The results were that there was some mental instability, substance use disorders, and chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and obesity. Bullying is very common all over the world. According to the studies of Indicators of School Crime and Safety in 2019 and a CDC study in 2017, around 20% of kids 12-18 years get bullied in some form. Bullying has even been declared an epidemic.

Bullying can also come in a variety of forms, and with ever growing technology, bullying becomes more and more widespread and comes in many different forms. Bullying is usually in the form of spreading rumors, lies, physical abuse, and breaking of others property. With technology, cyber bullying is becoming more and more common. Negative emails, text messages, apps, and other ways.

So, how does bullying affect the mind? Scientist have been trying to figure out why bullying has such negative effects on the mind. IMAGEN, a project conducted in Europe. 30% of the participants in the experiment said that they had experienced chronic bullying, and they reported higher levels of anxiety. When the researchers looked at the fMRI scans (function Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan) of the participants who had been bullied, they discovered structural differences in the brain. Areas like the putamen and caudate were changed and those areas were related to anxiety disorders. There were also differences in white matter, which are white myelin sheaths along the axons that allow the electrical pulses travel faster. But the good news is that these changes aren’t permanent. The brain is like play-doh, and can be shaped differently with new experiences. I hope you understand more about the brain and the effects of bullying!