Why stalking is bad

Being stalked is traumatic. You may start staying away from places, people, or activities that are associated with the stalker. This is called avoidance, and is a symptom of trauma. You could also experience hyperarousal.

This means you could become highly alert and easily startled. You could also become very suspicious of others and have trouble trusting them. Other signs that you might have PTSD include:. Studies show that victims of stalking often need treatment for mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, panic disorder , and post-traumatic stress disorder.

When it comes to trauma, the sooner you get treatment the better. Such treatment is usually available at intensive outpatient treatment programs IOP for teens. We are open and accepting clients. For example, have you ever noticed how you get Instagram ads for products you were just talking about? That might feel helpful at first — until you realize that your phone is literally listening to you, which is actually creepy AF.

Similarly, because social media is so woven into our day-to-day, it might take us a moment to recognize that some of our online behavior is harmful. This is mostly social media-driven curiosity — not necessarily toeing the line of stalking behavior. Or what if, next, you start texting The Ex, harassing him to let him know his new partner is ugly? Or what if, next, you DMed New Girl to yell at or threaten her? Most commonly, people — and especially men — engage in stalking behavior following a breakup.

During the protest stage, folks can feel extreme levels of motivation to understand why they were broken up with. We get super obsessive following a breakup because our levels of serotonin drop rapidly. And because serotonin, in part, controls obsessive and compulsive behavior, this imbalance can cause violently impulsive behavior , like rages, stalking, and — yes — murder. Surely, your mere curiosity is normal. Even your hurt feelings — including those created from comparing yourself to someone else — are OK.

But your motivations and subsequent behavior matter. While we can I hope all understand that a cursory glance at your ex or their new partner is NBD and a far cry from stalking with intent to murder , there are some social media behaviors — like those listed above — that cross the line from acceptable to inappropriate. So before you start typing her name into the search box again, ask yourself: Why am I doing this? What is fueling my desire to visit her page?

She also says it's important to look at the effect your online behaviour is having on your own life. If you're affected by the issues in this story and need some guidance, visit BBC Advice. Image source, Getty Images.

But where does curiosity end and cyber-stalking begin? Image source, Reuters. Profile of a cyber-stalker. Crossing the line. These factors include:. Whether the rejection is real or merely perceived by the stalker it comes as a critical blow. Stalkers see themselves as the victims of being led on or toyed with. Stalkers are often obsessive in multiple areas of their life including their romantic inclinations.

Stalkers blur the lines between fact and fiction. Stalkers are unable to recognize or respect the feelings or boundaries of others. They also lack healthy coping skills to deal with rejection, embarrassment, shame, or loss. Below are some common ways a stalker will try to lure you back in.