Bullying And Teen Suicide Have Now Become Synonymous
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Teen suicide is a pandemic in this country. Bullying and teen suicide have now become synonymous. In researching bullying and suicide, there seems to be a new catchword that has become part of the growing trend of bullying in schools. It’s called bullycide, which is “suicide caused by bullying and depression.”
In her article “Bullied to Death,” JoLynn Carney wrote, “victims of chronic peer abuse run an increased risk of suicidal behavior. “ She continues, “Many adolescents face being potential victims of violence in their communities, schools and homes on a daily basis. For some young people, those external threats create a hopelessness and depression that can lead to suicidal thoughts or actions.” You can read more about this at http://www.rps.psu.edu/bullies/index.html, wherein Melissa Beattie-Moss writes a fascinating article entitled, “Fighting Back: Bullying is an epidemic in American schools—but it can be prevented.”
The evidence to support Dr. Carney’s theory is evident in the recent West Virginia tragedy. The young man was bullied as a kid, and went on to exact his revenge on innocent students. While this is an extreme case, it is nonetheless a by-product of teen depression. Moreover, imagine a kid who is new to a school, a bit shy, appears physically weak, and is consistently victimized by teen bullies. This abuse causes isolation, alienation and teen depression, which may inevitably result in suicide.
More importantly, if a student has low self-esteem to begin with, and is constantly barraged by bullies who reinforce his low self-worth, he then becomes a prime candidate for bullying suicide. Consider this statistic: 86% of kids who were picked on or bullied turned to violence in the schools. However, it should be noted that some of the violence is turned inward, thus creating bullying suicide.
Furthermore, recent statistics assert that over 280,000 kids are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. If a teen in middle school is among the victims of these insidious attacks, and there is no recourse either through official channels or through counseling, it seems reasonable to assume that this child will go through all of the phases of teen depression – and ultimately commit the final act which will end the violence perpetrated on him or her.
Bullying and teen suicide have officially been linked, and it is more important than ever to find a solution to this ever-growing problem. Although teen depression has hit an all-time high, couple it with bullying and you have the makings of an inner-time-bomb that will eventually go off. Bullying suicide, or bullycide as it is now called, is a frightening consequence. Unless and until programs are instituted to address the seriousness and potential life-threatening bullying that is prevalent in most schools today, the teen suicide rate will undoubtedly increase.
© By Mandy-Jane Clarke
Stop-Bullies.com
Tags: Bullycide, bullying and teen suicide, teen depression, teenage suicide and bullyingLike this post? Share this post with your friends and family using the Tell A Friend box. Please feel welcome to leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to Stop-Bullies.com's feed and get our updates and posts delivered automatically to your feed reader.
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[...] Over 280K kids are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. The high profile cases of children who have been “bullied to death” highlight the need for a serious commitment and a national agenda [see People Magazine – Teen Suicides as a result of bullying.] Relatedly, the parents of Phoebe Prince recently settled a lawsuit with her daughter’s school district for 225K. [...]
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What has gone wrong with this society. It used to be one respected another for who they were. People said yes mam and no sir. now everyone is only thinking for him/her self. whether a person is mentally challenged by no choice of there own or different ,i.e gay/lesbian, by there freedom of choice should not make them a lesser person whom we as a population target and be judgemental and hurtfall against.
To be honest when people started coming out about be gay i was very judgemental and against it calling them wierd. but i finally came to my senses and realized who the f*@# am I to be the one who says what is right or wrong or different. people are free to make there own choices just like i choose to be staight they can choose to be gay. Thats all i will say on that.
i ask what is worse a person who brings a gun to work/school and shoots up the place cause of his hate for those or a person who comes to work/school and pushes,embarrasses,laughs at, makes jokes about another person cause of his hate????
The answer is neither there both just as bad if not the 2nd being the worst of the two. yet the first one is obvious crime and will be dealt with. the second however, even though causing emotional pain so bad that a person cant be themself and enjoy life to the point they want or do take theire own lifes, is overlooked everyday as a part of growing up. i ask again what happen to our society that even or adults and ones in charge dont take action for these behaviors?
Everyone has the RIGHT not choice to go to work, school or wherver it may be and not be scared or worried about being harrassed because of who they are.
Its time to step up and make people responsible for there actions. Whether it be teachers, PARENTS, law enforcement, or the general public it is time. if you see someone not being treated the way you want to be treated intervene lets stop bullying and become a respectful society again.
Yes… bullying has a lot to answer for… sadly because so many folk are too busy worrying about themselves they forget that there are others out there suffering that could use a caring friend to reach out to them and not judge them.
yeah it really sucks how kids are so self obsessessed like whos tougher than the other guy and kids they deem as weak are tortured physically and mentally for no reason at all other than to make the other person feel tough while the victims pride is broken down each time it happens. Evverybody has a breaking point and in my school a kid was already stabbed becuase he bullied a kid. and i get messed with everysingle day by some kid who thinks hes better than me . How did this country become so narccistic ?
Hi Ryan
That’s awful that you’re being bullied. Is there someone you can go to for help?
In my personal view, bullying is out of control world-wide in schools and the workplace. I know how you feel.. it’s so frustrating that it’s often just thrown into the “too hard” basket by authority figures.
Due to this negligence and or just plain ill-handling of bullying issues so many people needlessly suffer.
Hi Ryan-
Your story makes me angry…not at you, but at your bullies. If you’d like, you can email me (steven_dickens@yahoo.com) with your bully’s name(s) and I will email your school (please give me that too) and tell them who the bully(s) is and to address it. I’ll follow-up in a week to make sure he did.
Ryan I don’t even know you but I want to help. My sister and all of my cousins are gay. My sis just got engaged! Watch her film: fish out of water (fishoutofwaterfilm.com) and you’ll see how homosexuality IS cool with God.
Ryan, I don’t know if you are gay or not, and frankly I don’t care, but as a human being I care for you and do not want you to kill yourself. PLEASE e-mail me if that thought ever crosses your mind. If nobody will listen to you then I will listen to you, and step in to address.
Keep your head up. It’s the bullies who will be working for you one day. IT DOES GET BETTER. Adults don’t bully each other, and if they do, there are laws against it- and believe me- many people bring such cases to court (ever hear of sexual harassment?) just to stop the hate.
Ryan, you are an awesome kid, loved by God, claimed by Christ at baptism, and your name is written in the book of life. Nothing can separate you from God’s love- Rom 8:38-39. Good luck; I’m here for you if needed.
Steven Dickens