NIMH Twitter Chat on Bullying Prevention

October 23, 2013 • Science Update

It’s time to retire the children’s rhyme “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” When used as a form of bullying, words indeed do hurt. In fact, bullies and victims alike are at risk for psychiatric problems such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicide when they become adults.

Almost 1 in 4 high school students reported being bullied either on school property or in cyberspace, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . To help bring these numbers down and in honor of Bullying Prevention Awareness Month , the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will co-host a Twitter chat with pediatric psychologists Chris Sarampote, Ph.D., and Valerie Maholmes, Ph.D., on October 29, 2013, from 4 to 5 pm ET. Dr. Sarampote is Director of the Office of Research Training and Career Development in the Division of Developmental Translational Research at NIMH. Dr. Maholmes is Chief of the NICHD Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch.

A Twitter chat is an organized event where people participate in an interactive conversation through tweets. The conversation usually focuses on a pre-arranged topic and specific tag (#) called a hashtag. Hashtags allow the conversation to be easily followed on Twitter. The chats are scheduled for a specific time and date, but are archived on our website for viewing anytime. To participate, you will need a Twitter handle and account. If you prefer to simply observe the chat taking place, you may enter the specified hashtag at twubs.com to view the conversation in real-time. Email us at NIMHpress@nih.gov if you have questions...and we’ll see you at our next Twitter chat!

You can find this discussion under #NIMHchats. An archive of the chat will be posted shortly after the event.