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I have a son that was bullied from 3rd grade thru his Junior year which he didn't complete due to dropping out of school. Unfortunately no one in our community believes that his problem was bullies. They believe whatever they choose to believe. He was babied by his mother, he's annoying and deserved to be bullied, he was lazy.....we've heard it all. I wasn't a perfect single parent and my job demanded odd hours but what he went through and ultimately put myself and his siblings through was pure hell. He wasn't allowed to take out his frustrations on the people who were mentally and emotionally torturing him at school, he lost his chance to mature normally since they started in on him so young. He refused counseling on the grounds that he wasn't the one with the problem it was the jerks at school. I continued to try to convince him that even though he may not have THE problem he is having a problem dealing with the situation. He finally agreed to counseling his Junior year but still dropped out 2 months into the year. He was diagnosed with either Manic Depression, a Mood Disorder or Bi-Polar disorder. It could take years to truly determine his afflication.

But watching the situation from where I sit, I have to wonder. It's like what came first the chicken or the egg. IS bullying an early indicator of mental illness in children OR is mental illness a result of the bullying?

My son was happy, bright and had potential in many areas. That potential were squashed by the people my son had to school with. He had great potential in gymnastics but the only class included a bully, the son of the instructor.