Temple Street Children's Hospital releases distressing figures

According to Temple Street Children's University Hospital, 70% of children attending the hospital's obesity clinic have been the victim of bullying while one in 10 children have self-harmed as a result of the abuse they have endured.

Commenting on the alarming figures, the hospital's senior clinical psychologist, Aoife Brinkley, draws attention to the numerous implications of the incredibly worrying statistics.

In addition to missing school as a result of bullying, innumerable children have developed social anxiety disorders, with many refusing to leave their homes.

"We would have a little group that have struggled or missed a huge amount of school because of the bullying they have experienced," she reveals.

Giving an insight into the lives of the patients she treats, she explains: "We would have a lot of children who have attempted to hurt themselves and harm themselves. We would have children with depression, symptoms of anxiety."

Explaining that they confine themselves to their homes in order to avoid judgement from their peers, Dr. Brinkley continues: "There is a lot of social anxiety where children or teenagers are struggling to go outside the house because they feel so self-conscious."

Highlighting the severity of the situation, Dr. Brinkley explains: "It can become a vicious cycle where a young person teased or bullied doesn’t want to leave the house and is gaining weight because they are not leaving the house."

 Dr. Brinkley insists that despite popular opinion, childhood obesity is not easily remedied, saying: "I’d like to break down the myth that it is a simple thing or it is the parents’ fault. It is very complex and a really difficult thing to change."

One quarter of Irish children today are classified as overweight or obese.