Depression / sadness

Depression can be defined in its mildest form as "just being low in spirits. It does not stop people from leading a normal life but it can make things seem harder to do and less worthwhile. However, at its most severe depression can be very serious and can make people feel suicical and lose the will to live" [1].

Sadness however is different to depression, as when people feel sad the feelings often pass in time but with depression they might not [1].

Bullying can make people feel sad and lead to depression [2]. People who are bullied are at more risk of depression and suicide attempts than those who are not being bullied [3, 4, 5].

Click Here for more information on suicide.

References on this page:

[1] Mind. (2012). Understanding depression. London: Mind.

[2] Kim, Y. S., Leventhal, B. L., Koh, Y.-J., & Boyce, W. T. (2009). Bullying increased suicide risk: prospective study of Korean adolescents. Archives of Suicide Research, 13 (1), 15–30

[3] Klomek, A. B., Marrocco, F., Kleinman, M., Schonfield, I. S., & Gould, M. S. (2007). Bullying, Depression, and Suicidality in Adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46 (1), 40-49.

[4] Mills, C., Guerin, S., Lynch, F., Daly, I., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2004). The relationship between bullying, depression and suicidal thoughts/behaviour in Irish adolescents. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 21, 112-116.

[5] Van Der Wal, M. F., De Wit, C. A., & Hirasing, R. A. (2003). Psychosocial Health Among Young Victims and Offenders of Direct and Indirect Bullying. Pediatrics, 111(6), 1312-1317.

Page last updated: 8 July, 2013