Bullying has many parallels with chronic stress; its victims report higher levels of depression, anxiety and health complaints and it is, on the whole, subjective. Causal direction is unknown; providing opportunities for legal defence. Social forces within a given workplace can act to decide that a given duty holder is a bully and that certain persons are bullied. Claims can be thus contagious.
Evidence from:
AM Hansen et al. Journal of Psychosomatic Research (2006) Vol. 60 p 63 -72
“Bullying at work, health outcomes, and physiological stress response”
In this study of 437 employees 5% reported having been bullied during the past 6 months. Among these, there were statistically significant higher scores on measures of somatisation (perception of symptoms with no organic cause), depression, anxiety and mental ill health.
Further detail: