SHELBYVILLE, IL. — The month of October is the National Bullying Prevention Month and bullying prevention advocates are calling for a social movement to address the catastrophic effects of bullying.

More than 160,000 kids miss school every day out of fear of attack or intimidation by other students.  Kids who are bullied are more likely to develop depression and anxiety disorders that don’t just go away at the end of the school year.  Doctors say the effects of bullying can last a lifetime.  In some cases, bullying can even lead to suicide.

“When kids are bullied, they really remember it,” said Dr. Barry Garfinel, child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Center for Developmental Psychopharmacology in Minneapolis.  “It results in this excessive caution and fear they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.  Rather than being excited about life, they are burdened with this anxiety that there are people who will hurt them emotionally and even physically.”

As part of National Bullying Prevention Month, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center is encouraging people across the country to take action if they witness an act of bullying  This is especially important for students.  More than 55 percent of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes.

Locally a Shelbyville High School (SHS) senior Connor Biehler witnessed just such a bullying incident.

“Actually last night at the Runathon there was a little boy who was getting picked on for being short and he was getting picked on by a seventh grader and the kid was in fifth grade,” said Biehler.  “Then a sixth grader came up and stood up to the seventh grader.  I mean it happens but there are people who try to prevent it.”

Julie Hertzog, director of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center said “Silence is not an acceptable response to bullying.”

“Adults, students and educators can no longer look away when they see bullying.  People who are bullied need to know they are not alone.”

SHS principal Kevin Ross said bullying doesn’t just happen on the playground.  The prevalence of online communications has dramatically changed the landscape of bullying, as it is now visible to hundreds of friends and followers on social media websites.

“Probably the biggest change in bullying in the last ten years is what goes on with technology,” said Ross.  “There are so many forms where a student can say something electronically about somebody else anonymously.”

“Cyberbullying can be exceptionally traumatic because it can be done anonymously and way too many people can witness it,” said Dr. Read Sulik, senior vice president of behavioral health services at Sanford Health in Fargo, N. D.  “Once online, it can have a everlasting and devastating impact.”

Gary Cadwell, Superintendent of the Cowden-Herrick Schools said he believes all schools are affected by bullying including the rural schools.

“I think everybody has problems with bullying,” said Cadwell.  “Bullying is something that is going on in society with young people and it is going on with adults also.  There is bullying in the work place and just everywhere, which is why it is important to deal with it.”

Cadwell agrees with Ross in as much as cyberbullying is a serious problem.

“Sites like Facebook and the other social media give bullies a chance to ply their trade, so to speak.”

With so many students affected by bullying, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center wants to help parents understand what they can do if their children are being bullied at school.  Parents are encouraged to work with their children, believe what they are saying, be supportive yet patient, educate their children about bullying, and discuss ways to deal with bullying.  Free resources at PACER.org/bullying can help parents do this, including TeensAgainstBullying.org and KidsAgainstBullying.org, websites created specifically for elementary-aged children and teens.

“Accept your children for who they are and get involved in their lives,” suggests Tammy Aaberg, whose son Justin committed suicide after being bullied.  “If you notice signs that they’re acting differently, ask them how things are going at school.  They will probably not want to open up at first, but if you have a feeling in your gut that something is wrong, show them you care by asking questions.”