My close friend has a job for almost 10 yrs. as an Administrative Ass't. for a multi-manager department in a large hospital in the midst of reorganization. Her prior boss was a rational man with a holistic view of how to manage a department. My friend was lauded and publicly recognized for her efficiency and quality of work. He retired, and the woman who replaced him immediately began bullying the people she managed, in order to push thier "Department of Organizational Excellence" (quite a contradiction in terms) to higher levels of productivity.

She exhibited ALL the bully symptoms listed, and MORE. This went on for about 5 yrs. The result was the loss of very qualified people who could not bear the stress. My friend developed ALL of the listed symptoms of the bullied AND serious medical issues - ulcers, and related internal disorders. She could not afford to leave this job in this economy, especially since she is close to retirement. The quality of care and attention given to the patients this department kept track of also suffered greatly, as most of this director's attention was focused on how good she and her department LOOKED, rather than the actual service they were supposed to provide.

So.... if you think for a moment that bullying in the workplace is not the cause of serious medical disorders, than you have never experienced it. My friend is not a wimp, or a victim - she raised 3 boys, struck out on her own, acquired training and worked very hard to become proficient in her medical field, and only after she started vomiting every morning before going to work did she seek help from Human Resources.

Fortunately, the "bully" has been repositioned, and everyone in the department is recovering from the "lockdown" mentality they were subjected to.