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A new study says children who are bullied could have mental health problems when they are adults. It said bullied children are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than children who suffered child abuse. Researchers found that the children who experienced only bullying were 1.6 times more likely to have mental health problems or to have tried to harm themselves. Researcher Dr Dieter Wolke said society thinks bullying is a normal part of childhood. He said: "Being bullied is not a harmless…or inevitable part of growing up; it has serious long-term consequences."

Bullying is a problem around the world. In Britain, about 16,000 children stay at home because they are often bullied. Their exam results suffer and their chance of going to university or getting good jobs. Bullied children can have serious illnesses, an inability to focus on one thing for a long time, poor social skills, and have trouble keeping a job or staying in a relationship. An expert on child violence said parents and schools needed to do more about seeing and preventing bullying. She said parents needed to teach their children how to communicate well with other children.