Bullying and Cyberbullying in Mexico: A Silent Epidemic Costing Over 7,000 Million Pesos Annually in Mental Health Impacts

Introduction

Bullying and its digital counterpart, cyberbullying, have become a silent epidemic affecting the mental health of millions of children and teenagers in Mexico. The economic cost of these issues is estimated at over 7,000 million pesos annually due to mental health-related impacts, according to a study by the Anti-Bullying Protocol organization.

The Scope of the Problem

Tania E. Martínez Lizárraga, an academic from the Universidad Panamericana, highlighted that reports of school bullying in Mexico City have increased by 205% since 2019. The victims are predominantly in middle (45%) and primary schools (27%).

Mental Health Impacts

Martínez Lizárraga emphasized that up to 75% of bullied children exhibit clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression, along with post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, physical manifestations, school abandonment, and social isolation. Moreover, 8.4% of victims report suicidal thoughts, and those experiencing cyberbullying are twice as likely to attempt suicide.

Digital BullyingAnti-Bullying Protocol reported that the digital landscape presents an equally alarming situation. According to INEGI data, seven out of ten adolescents have experienced digital violence. UNESCO warned that only 10% of schools in Latin America have updated protocols for digital environments.

Legal and Institutional Shortcomings

Activist Ana Lucía Medina Galindo pointed out legal loopholes and the lack of institutional follow-through in most states. Only seven entities regularly publish bullying statistics, and there is no reliable national monitoring system.

Mental Health Conditions and Their Costs

The organization also presented a panorama of the most common mental health issues in Mexico and the United States.

Depression

According to a 2010 cost-effectiveness study, depression affects approximately 2.5 million people in Mexico. The average cost per person for treating this disorder is $149.05, resulting in an annual total cost of $75 million 948,687.90.

Anxiety

Anxiety impacts 15.4 million people, with individual treatment costs amounting to $2,125. This translates into an annual cost of $4.985 billion 405,698.78, as per data from the Centro Estatal de Vigilancia Epidemiológica y de Control de Enfermedades in 2020.

Self-HarmSelf-harm, a particularly concerning issue among young people, affects around 4 million individuals. The cost per person for addressing this condition is $2,125, leading to an annual expenditure of $1.997 billion 552,019.62, according to the Asociación Psicoanalítica Mexicana’s 2019 estimates.

SmokingSmoking affects 2.16 million people, with an average cost per person of $151.37. This results in an annual expenditure of $46 million 781,311.62, as reported by the Secretaría de Salud in 2023.

Key Questions and Answers

• What is the cost of bullying and cyberbullying in Mexico? The annual economic cost related to mental health impacts is over 7,000 million pesos.
• Who is most affected by bullying? The majority of victims are in middle (45%) and primary schools (27%).
• What mental health issues are common among bullied children? Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, physical manifestations, school abandonment, and social isolation are prevalent.
• What percentage of bullying victims report suicidal thoughts? 8.4% of victims report suicidal ideation.
• How widespread is digital bullying? Seven out of ten adolescents have experienced digital violence.
• What are the common mental health conditions in Mexico? Depression, anxiety, self-harm, and smoking are prevalent issues.