Alice
Bullies leave girl in lifetime of pain
Alice was subjected to such violent attacks in school at the hands of her bullies that she had to go to hospital and now at university still suffers from the after effects.
As a result of her injuries, Alice has visited a physiotherapist, an osteopath and a psychologist. She received compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, but she had already been told that she would have to learn to deal with the pain and would be on painkillers for the rest of her life.
Alice said: “I was incredibly unhappy. It got to the stage where I got so emotionally and physically distressed that I became extremely depressed and, at times, suicidal.”
In the first incident, when Alice was aged 13, she was hit over the back of her head during a lesson with such force that her glasses fell off and her brace dislodged in her mouth. After three days of headaches, she was taken to A and E where she was diagnosed with whiplash.
The shoulder and neck pain, combined with headaches and a difficulty in focusing, forced Alice to miss several days of school. When she returned, no one believed that she was injured, and she was ostracised from her group of friends. Gangs of pupils spat at her, threatened her and threw books and rubbish at her.
Not surprisingly, Alice became withdrawn, frightened and unhappy. She dreaded going to school, and would develop stomach ache on Sunday evenings so she could avoid the bullies. She saw a counsellor and it was agreed that the primary bully would be moved from her form group.
Although the individual was moved the following year, Alice was blamed and the bullying got worse. She was assaulted again, by another pupil, aggravating her previous injuries. The incident was reported to the police, but no action was taken, leaving Alice scared to go to school.
The Headmistress and LEA Welfare Officer agreed that it was impractical for Alice to remain at school. After two years out of the mainstream education system, she was accepted to another school, but she still suffered from the effects of her bullying. She excluded herself from any groups and her self-confidence was very low.
During sixth form, in addition to the physiotherapy that Alice continued to have to treat the injuries inflicted by her bullies, the continual disability and inability to participate in normal teenage activities understandably caused psychological effects and she reluctantly agreed to see a clinical psychologist.
Alice said: “I suffered from extreme paranoia. I was too scared to go into crowded places or stand up and talk in front of the class. I was even too scared to walk into the canteen to get my lunch and I ended up only eating breakfast and dinner, which obviously led to weight loss, headaches and a weakened immune system.”
Despite this adversity, Alice succeeded academically and was accepted to University. Unfortunately, due to her strong painkillers, she could not neither keep pace with her studies, nor enjoy the experience of university. It was suggested that she withdraw from her first year to have her injuries properly sorted before repeating the year. A specialist found serious scar tissue from her previous bullying injuries and she is now undergoing a series of steroid injections.
In a bizarre twist, during her year out from uni, Alice received an email from her tormentor at school who inflicted the first injury and sparked the years of pain. He apologised and tried to explain his actions, something that Alice never expected, but believes has helped her. Although she is no longer bullied, and she is now happier and less depressed, she still suffers from the physical and psychological effects of her ordeal.