Bullying throughout the years has evolved and taken on many different forms. For the longest time bullying was seen as something to be overlooked, a normal part of everyday life for students. It wasn't until the past decade that bullying has been taken seriously in the eyes of the public.

“It could be that bullying is not occurring more frequently but that we have recently taken bullying more seriously therefore people are more likely to define it as a problem, to report it, and to discuss solutions,” Dr. Tina Deshotels, an associate professor of sociology at Jacksonville State University, said recently.

Until recently, Deshotels said, bullying was considered nothing more than “kids being kids.”
“As we educate young people on bullying we should actually see reported incidents of bullying increase as we shift the definition from 'that's the way things are' to 'this is a problem',” she said.

Although bullying has been seen as exclusive to boys, the gender difference has recently become more defined. Girls deal more toward the side of emotional violence, compared to the more physical side taken on by boys. As cases proliferate, states have recently begun hunting for solutions.

A rise in suicides in recent years attributed to bullying is a red flag in some communities.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), suicide has become the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year. This does not include the suicide attempts. 10-14 year old girls may be at an even higher risk for suicide, according to the statistics.

“I never thought my daughter would be a victim to bullying,” a concerned parent of a child at Cedar Bluff School said recently. “She was suggested to have intimate relations with a boy in her school, and she received a lot of negative criticism by her peers because of it.”

The woman said the rumors ruined her daughter's reputation, at least in her own eyes.

“The fact that the school wouldn't do anything about it only made it harder for her,” the woman said. “We didn't realize how serious it truly was until a friend of hers told us that she was saying how she wanted to kill herself because of how other students were making her feel. That's frightening.”

Alabama's laws on bullying, known as harassment, were integrated by former Gov. Bob Riley. The laws only cover physical harassment and cyber-bullying, often leaving administrators' hands tied when the topic of emotional abuse arises. This type of bullying can be just as devastating as physical bullying, if not worse.

“A lot of my patients exhibit symptoms ranging from depression, anxiety, and even a fear of going back to school,” said Theresa Dawson, a child/adolescent therapist at the C.E.D Mental Health Center in Centre. “Some parents have no idea that their child is either a bully or being bullied.”

Dawson said cyber-bullying is also becoming a problem as technology becomes more convenient and widespread.

“In my opinion, schools need to take these cases more seriously,” Dawson said. “There are counselors who have referred them to my office but for the most part there is no accountability.”

Professionals predict that it will take the efforts of entire community, as well as the students in the schools, to fight back against the bullying epidemic. Anyone who is being bullied at their school should know there is a place to go for help. The C.E.D. Mental Health Center offers services for victims of bullying, as does Weiss Lake Psychological Services. Both are located in Centre.