The Real Damage of Cyber-Abuse

It Hurts

Understanding the Effects of Cyber Bullying, Harassment and Stalking

The effects of cyber-bullying, cyber-harassment and cyber-stalking are catastrophically severe to an abuser's victim. New research now reveals that individuals who are bullied, stalked or harassed online perceive the trauma at higher stress levels than do victims who are bullied, stalked or harassed in person, presumably due to the profound impact of an abuser's 24 hour a day ability to hurt their victim with greater intensity than in person, the victim's inability to retreat into a safe place due to the nature of the internet, and the globally engaged audience of multi-million over the world wide web. Resulting post traumatic stress syndrome and/or clinical depression are commonly seen as long lasting life consequences to victims, and research indicates this may cause health consequences that shorten the overall life span of a victim.

According to research study, victim response to the intensity of stress and trauma experienced will include panic attacks, ongoing heightened stress, anxiety, fear, nightmares, shock, disbelief, grief, confusion, feelings of helplessness, hyper-vigilance, changes in eating, and sleeping difficulties.

Tragically and inexcusably, victims of this abuse are driven to suicide in rising numbers in a desperate attempt to find that safe place they otherwise cannot in a cyber abuse campaign playing out in the online world. Victims do not want to die but feel their lives and reputations have been destroyed, and so seek death for the fundamental relief of the agonizing emotional and mental pain their merciless abusers have inflicted, or continue to inflict, or by the lingering and irreversible damage they have already done.