ME & Relationships / Question
Published: December 28, 2006
Dear TeenHealthFX,
People hate me! Hi I’m 11 but 12 in November, and have just started a new school. I've been there for 4 weeks (so far), and have only 3 friends. I also get bullied a lot by the year 7, 10, and 8's (Verbal) and I'm really scared to go in to the playground, and eat my lunch in the toilets (sp?) because a girl there said she would beat me up some time.
Signed: People Hate Me
Dear People Hate Me,
TeenHealthFX is sorry to hear that it has been such a rough start in your new school. It can be hard enough simply being the new person at a new school, but throw in bullying issues on top of being the new kid and we can easily imagine how stressful all of this must be feeling right now. FX recommends a couple of things to deal with these issues. The first thing we recommend you do is to speak with your parents and let them know about the situation. And then it is important that either you, your parents, or all of you sit down with a staff member at the school – such as your teacher, principal, guidance counselor, or school social worker – so that they can be made aware that you are feeling scared about going to certain areas of the school because of the threats of violence that have been made against you. The school has a responsibility to keep you well-supervised and safe – and they need to be notified if there is any concern about your ongoing safety so that they can take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that the school is a safe environment for you.
Once your parents and the key school staff members have taken steps to ensure your safety, FX recommends that you talk with your parents about getting individual and/or group therapy to address peer relationship issues. Both group and individual therapy can be places where you can get guidance and support in developing the skills to make new friends and to deal with bullying behaviors. Such counseling might be available onsite at your school, or you may be able to go to a local hospital or mental health agency to receive these kinds of services – your parents and staff members at school will be able to make these arrangements for you.
If you live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Less than 33% of teens with depression get help, yet 80% of teens with depression can be successfully treated if they seek help from a doctor or therapist.
