People who maintain strong mental health and a positive state of mind are much more likely to have an enjoyable, fulfilling life. However, there are numerous things that can impact mental health, including workplace bullying and discrimination.
Despite numerous laws designed to prevent these from happening, they remain common. And they affect thousands of Australian’s every year. In fact, recent studies estimate that as much as 11% of the Australian workforce suffer some form of bullying or harassment, but only a few ever reach out to employment lawyers for help.
In order to deal with the mental health issues this can cause, it’s important to understand them. In the following article, we’ve explored some of the main effects workplace bullying could have on your mental and physical wellbeing.
Mental Health Effects
There are countless mental illnesses that can be exacerbated or triggered by workplace bullying. Understanding them and why they occur is key to preventing and dealing with them. Some of the most common mental health effects of harassment include:
Post traumatic stress disorder – Post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a severe illness that can impact the fundamentals of day-to-day life. If you love your work and enjoy what you do, PTSD could hit you hard if your workplace suddenly becomes somewhere where you’re targetted and taken down regularly.
Depression and anxiety – Meanwhile, long-term bullying can lower a person’s self-worth, which in turn can lead to issues like depression and anxiety. These are severe mental illnesses which can reduce motivation and make it hard for people to gather the energy to complete daily tasks.
Breakdowns – Bullying can also increase stress and panic levels, which can lead to major mental or emotional breakdowns. Unfortunately, these can occur at any time and can have significant effects on your life.
There are numerous other mental and emotional problems caused by bullying, including lower concentration levels, addiction or substance abuse, poor memory and mood swings.
Physical Health Effects
Regular workplace bullying can lead to severe stress, which has been linked to numerous physical health effects. These include:
Chronic fatigue syndrome – One of the worst health problems caused directly by stress and, therefore, by workplace bullying is chronic fatigue syndrome. This can affect anyone and generally results in very low energy and motivation.
Suppressed immunity – Increased stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on your immune systems. People who have been the victim of continual bullying report lower immunity to things like colds, fevers and even the flu.
Other common physical health effects include high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, back and chest pain and hormonal imbalances. If you’re suffering from a serious health issue, be sure to speak with a doctor.
Final Word
Ultimately, workplace bullying can have far-reaching physical and mental health effects. It’s important to deal with any bullying early to reduce the risk to your health.
In this article, we’ve outlined some of the major problems linked to workplace bullying. If you’re suffering from a serious illness, be sure to seek medical assistance. There’s no shame in asking for help when it’s required.