Diabetes can make you a target for bullies. Children and teens with diabetes are at an increased risk of being bullied and teased
by classmates. A published report found that insulin-dependent diabetics were
particularly vulnerable to peer abuse. The study raised concerns that these children might forgo medically necessary procedures,
such as checking their blood sugar levels or injecting insulin, in order to avoid being picked on. The more bullied a diabetic child is, the less he/she checks their blood sugar or adheres to their diet,
to reduce the chance of appearing different from his/her peers.
Bullies choose targets
who have little social support. They look for attributes of the chosen target
that they can use to justify harassment. Maybe the target is skinny, fat, wears
glasses, or has diabetes.
What victims of bullying
have in common is that they are emotionally vulnerable. They are the ones who
are less outgoing, the ones who prefer to stand back and watch before joining in, or lack the social skills to enter into
active play or group situations. These less assertive children are often looked
on by their aggressive peers as potential victims.
You can take action
to stop bullies. You can make sure that you aren’t the kid bullies choose
to pick on. And, you don’t have to keep your diabetes a secret to do it.
Your best line of defense is to make sure
you are happy with yourself – that you have high self-esteem and are a confident person.
The first thing that needs to be developed is confidence in yourself, to be able to stand up for yourself.
Bullies cannot exist
without victims. If you are bothered by a bully, simply ignore him/her. By ignoring the teasing and meanness, you don’t feed into it. However, ignoring bullying doesn’t always work.
Bullying researchers
agree that getting involved in activities and groups is also very helpful. You actually become part of a group instead of
someone on the outside. When you get involved, you gain a new set of friends
who can also stand up for you.
Don’t keep your diabetes a secret.
In a world where being “different” could make you a target, it might seem like the best thing to do is
keep your diabetes a secret. Don’t.
Diabetes is a part
of who you are. Having diabetes does not mean you are a lesser person. By telling people, you are educating them and helping to prevent dangerous situations for yourself. If you try to hide your diabetes, then you might be showing other people that it’s
something they can tease you about because you’re embarrassed by it. When you are open about having diabetes, you can
show people how you can do all the same things as them – sometimes even better – plus take good care of your diabetes.
Be confident
in yourself. If you are okay with yourself and your diabetes, chances are, other
people will be too.
