Posted on Sunday, 10th October 2010 by Jake Clutterbuck
This story started on 
CNN iReport Mike Sarkany never liked having his picture taken again after being bullied as a child. On left: 1958; on right: 2010. STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Victims of bullying may display a variety of symptoms of distress
- Parents of a child who has been bullied should emphasize the activities he or she is good at
- Sometimes children being bullied become the bullies
Mike Sarkany has been hiding from bullies for a long time.
Since fifth grade, other children mistreated him at school — beating him up on the playground, blocking his way in the hall, throwing balls a little too hard. No one believed him. Teachers told him to stand up for himself, but he didn’t know how. His solution: Try to avoid anyone who might mistreat him.
Now he’s 57, but he still harbors the same anger and fear that he did as a bullied child. He lives alone and tries to minimize interactions with others because he’s still wary of being treated cruelly and feels he never learned how to deal with it.
“I just wanted to go to school and enjoy the experience. I just tried to not be involved. I didn’t do anything to anybody. The more you try to get away from everybody the more they’d bother you,” he said. Read his iReport: Happier times
Bullying involves a repeated, harmful, aggressive act in a situation where there is an imbalance of power, said Cheryl Rode, director of Clinical Operations at the San Diego Center for Children in California.
Victims of bullying may display a variety of symptoms of psychological or physical distress, according to experts.
They may become withdrawn or depressed, and even contemplate suicide, said Rana Sampson, director of development at the San Diego Center for Children and a bullying expert. Anxiety and insomnia are also common.
For young people who are more vulnerable, particularly those who may not have a stable home environment and base of family support, it can be harder to shake off the negativity of the bullying experience, even in adulthood, said Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
“Even when they become older and become successful in their business or their professional endeavor, they still may be struggling to sort of overcome feelings of inferiority or being the target of derisive behavior, derisive comments and jokes,” he said.
Video: Kids: My life as a bully’s victim Video: How to stop a bully
“It really can affect how they feel about themselves and their ability to form relationships, feel safe in the world,” Rode said.
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Tags: Bullied, Bullied Kid
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