Chronic conflict or teasing can cause delusions and bizarre thoughts
U.K. researchers have just revealed that the long-term impact of being bullied as kid may include psychotic-like symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions and bizarre thoughts. In their study, children who were physically or emotionally tormented had double the chance of developing these problems by the time they turned 13. If the bullying was severe and persistent, that risk went up four-fold. The scientists say occasional conflict or teasing is a normal part of growing up, and the process of resolving those challenges is important to a child’s development. But these findings, they add, demonstrate that chronic victimization has devastating effects on children and must be stopped.