Pakistanis kids and teenagers having mental issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) are at high risk of being victims of bullying including cyberbullying which may lead them towards serious psychological disorders.
This was stated by Dr Zainab F. Zadeh Clinical Psychologist while speaking to virtual International CHADD Conference on ADHD sponsored by a local Non-Profit Organization, Kazim Trust.
ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect a child’s success at school, as well as their relationships.
Bullying is reported through physical assault like pushing, kicking. etc., or through verbal bullyings, such as name-calling, mocking, threatening, Dr. Zadeh added. Cyber bullying includes sending offensive emails, text messages, circulating indecent images, and misusing social networks.
It is estimated that 25% of young people or 1 in 4 are cyber bullied at some stage in Pakistan like the entire world that involves the internet and mobile phone in order to threaten, tease or abuse the victim.
Parents should supervise the use of the internet and social media of ADHD affected kids and their responsive behavior on social media in order to prevent them from bullies. It is also recommended to encourage your child to avoid replying to nasty messages, not to post photos or videos they are not happy for others to watch, and to avoid adult websites.
The ignorance of cyber bullying could cause serious harm to the personality of an individual particularly to ADHD patients, she emphasised.
ADHD people are at higher risk of being bullied due to their vulnerabilities. To make it worse, the disorder of ADHD is being untreated in Pakistan largely because of its unawareness and stigma in our society. Persistent bullying of ADHD patients leads to various psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, aggression, frustration, sleep deprivation, and low self-esteem, she explained. Bullies target the vulnerable kids from the child’s disability, including their way of understanding, socializing, and academic performance, also giving unusual and often derogatory names to the victims.
The ADHD afflicted students then find it difficult to concentrate their studies and extracurricular activities, resulting in poor performance in both academics and sports. Some of the kids harm themselves mentally and physically and some even have suicidal thoughts in the worst-case scenario.
In Pakistan, there is a lack of awareness of the disorder and resources to deal with it in terms of professional staff, hence there is a need to expand their services by the means of technology.
Kazim Trust has planned to expand its services at the national and international level in order to give access to patients with mental disorder to quality treatment along with the support of different languages, she added.
