最近，接二連三的校園霸凌(bullying)事件，引起了社會各界的廣泛注意。

關於霸凌，以前眾多的文獻資料多集中於探討學童心理及社會層面的影響，而未及於解剖生理學上的證據。

但是，現在卻出現明確的醫學證據，顯示此霸凌行為的確會對特定大腦組織出現可驗證性的傷害!!

1.同儕加害者的語言霸凌程度，與被霸凌者的受傷害程度，存在著劑量依賴效應(dose-dependent effect)。受害者隨後出現的情緒症狀包括:焦慮症、憂鬱症、憤怒性敵意、解離症(注2)、吸毒和"情緒焦躁不安"(anxiety, depression, anger-hostility, dissociation, drug use, and "limbic irritability."。)

2.受到顯著語言霸凌的小孩，出現臨床上顯著憂鬱症的風險可以增至2倍，焦慮症及情緒焦躁的風險可增至3至4倍，而解離症的風險可增高至10倍。("Substantial exposure was associated with a greater than twofold increase in clinically significant ratings of depression, a threefold to fourfold increase in anxiety and 'limbic irritability,' and 10-fold increase in dissociation" )

3.霸凌不必嚴重至肢體暴力程度，僅僅是嘲笑、鄙視、羞辱等語言性暴力(ridicule, disdain, humiliation)，即足以造成上述大腦傷害。

4.青少年6到8年級(11至14歲)的青少年特別容易受語言霸凌傷害。( the middle school years, when children are between the ages of 11 and 14 years, appear to be a time when they are particularly vulnerable to such abuse.)

5.霸凌事件最令人憂心的是，引起受害者的傷害不光是表現在心理及精神層面，連負責連結左右大腦半球的胼胝體(corpus callosum)及負責連結大腦皮質區的放射冠( corona radiata)(位置請見下圖)的大腦組織生理結構也會出現與受同儕語言霸凌程度正相關的異常變化。(diffusion tensor imaging studies in a subset of individuals revealed a link between degree of exposure to peer verbal abuse and abnormalities in the corpus callosum, a "massive fiber tract that interconnects the left and right hemispheres," and in the corona radiata, which contains axons that carry almost all of the neural traffic to and from the cerebral cortex.)

6.平均而言，男性比女性更容易受到霸凌。語言暴力與性行為似乎有相關性。女性受害者日後較易出現解離症狀與情緒焦躁不安，而男性受害者日後則較易出現毒品濫用問題。(On average, males reported a substantially greater degree of exposure to peer verbal abuse than females. The study also revealed interactions between peer verbal abuse and sex, with females scoring higher on measures of dissociation and "limbic irritability" and males reporting greater drug use.)

(注1)Verbal Abuse by Peers in Childhood Linked to Poor Psychiatric Outcomes, Altered Brain Function.  Am J Psychiatry. 2010;167:1464-1471.)

(注2)解離症指的是在記憶、自我意識或認知的功能上的崩解。起因通常是極大的壓力或極深的創傷。