Bullying is a Pediatric Health Issue

Bullying doesn’t always look like bruises and broken lunch trays. Sometimes it looks like a kid who suddenly “hates” school or a teen who’s glued to their phone but never smiling. Other times, it’s a patient who keeps showing up to clinic with vague symptoms like headaches, nausea and no clear diagnosis. In pediatrics, we’re trained to look for patterns in data such as growth charts and lab results. But some of the most crucial patterns show up in silence, withdrawal and fear. In this episode about bullying, we are going to examine how it’s changed, how it hides and why it’s a health issue, not just a school problem. 

Lauren Henry, PhD, is a psychologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, as well as an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

In this episode, our experts discuss: 

• How to screen for bullying in your clinic 
• Best ways to talk to parents and patients about bullying 
• The impact of bullying on mental health for children 
• Understanding the signs of bullying