Bullying and Suicide
By: Brandon Owensby
"Some of the kids knew about it before it happened, but they didn’t want to say anything—they have a code of honor and theydid not want to tattletale. But someone has to stand up; someone has to take a stand because, if you don’t, then somebody else is going to get hurt" (Losey, 2011, p. 9).
Gregory Carter, Teacher, Richmond, Virginia
Victim of a school shooting
Picture from ("youthvoice", 2011).
First,
Picture from (Warren & Keanelly, 2012).
Bullying
- usually defined as a specific form of aggression, which is intentional, repeated, and involves a disparity of power between the victim and perpetrators (Wang & Nansel, 2009, p. 369)
- Physical (i.e., assault)
- Verbal (i.e., threats or
insults) - Relational (i.e., exclusion or rumor spreading)
- Cyber (i.e., aggressive texts or social network posts)
- 10 to 20% of adolescents are bullies (Berk, 2010, p. 343)
- 15 to 30% of adolescents are repeatedly bullied
- 10–20 % percent of children report being cyber bullied or cyber bullying (Litwiller & Brausch, 2013, p. 676)
- Bullying repeatedly has been found to be associated with or predict adolescent suicide risk (Litwiller & Brausch, 2013, p. 681)
Picture from ("National Association").
Suicide
- the action of killing oneself intentionally
- 3rd leading cause of death of youth in America (Berk, 2010, p. 422)
- Ratio of male suicide to female suicide is 3 or 4 to 1
- Research conducted by Wang & Nansel, they found that "prevalence rates of having bullied others or having been bullied at school for at least once in the last 2 months were 20.8% physically, 53.6% verbally, 51.4% socially or 13.6% electronically."
Picture from ("Goodbye World").
Signs of Bullying and Suicide
- Unexplainable injuries
- Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry
- *Unsociable
- *Decline in academics and attendance
- *Disciplinary problems
- *Neglect of personal appearance
- *Sleep changes (loss or excessive sleep)
- *Appetite changes (more or less food)
- *Physical complaints (stomachaches, backaches, headaches, etc.)
- Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem
- Self-destructive behaviors (e.g. running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide*****)
Suicide (Berk, 2010, p. 423)
- Feelings of sadness
- 'uncaring attitude'
- Extreme fatigue, lack of energy, boredom
- *Unsociable
- Easily frustrated
- Emotional outburst
- Unable to concentrate
- *Decline in academics and attendance
- *Disciplinary problems
- *Neglect of personal appearance
- *Sleep changes (loss or excessive sleep)
- *Appetite changes (more or less food)
- *Physical complaints (stomachaches, backaches, headaches, etc.)
**Notice that the ones starred are the same in both the signs of bullying and suicide**
Picture from (Penny, 2009).
Prevention of Bullying and Suicide
- Showing strong parental support may protect adolescents from all four types of bullying. (Wang & Nansel, 2009, p. 368)
- Changing youth environment (i.e. school, sports programs, neighborhoods) (Berk, 2010, p. 343)
- Promoting good social behaviors and attitudes
- Teaching intervention
- Forming friendships
- Creating school programs to help student report and seek help from bullying (Losey, 2011, p. 13)
Prevent Suicide by:
- Recognizing the signs and symptoms (Berk, 2010, p. 423)
- Talking to the child's doctor
- Seeking counseling and support when child is in danger
- Listening to them
- Removing any objects that might provoke suicide (i.e., knives, guns, razors, scissors, drugs)
- Helping them cope with the grief, anger, and guilt
Picture from ("Sore Eye").
Amanda Todd
Picture from (Warren & Keanelly, 2012).
References
Berk, L. E. (2010). Development Through the Lifespan (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Goodbye World…A Suicide Note to Everyone | Recruiterpoet Blog [Web log post]. (2011, June 4). Retrieved from http://recruiterpoet.com/2011/07/04/goodbye-world-a-suicide-note-to-everyone/
Litwiller, B. J., & Brausch, A. M. (2013). Cyber bullying and physical bullying in adolescent suicide: The role of violent behavior and substance use. Journal Of Youth And Adolescence, 42(5), 675-684. doi:10.1007/s10964-013-9925-5
Losey, B. (2011). Effective School Prevention. Bullying, suicide, and homicide: Understanding, assessing, and preventing threats to self and others for victims of bullying (pp. 9-23). Retrieved from http://media.routledgeweb.com/pp/common/sample-chapters/9780415873475.pdf
My story: Struggling, bullying, suicide, self harm. (2012, September 7). Retrieved October 15, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vOHXGNx-E7E
National Association of People Against Bullying | San Clemente, CA 92673. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2013, from http://www.napab.org/
Penny, M. (2009, December 14). The Bully Suicide Project : Giving Victims Of Bullying Their Voices Back – Queeried : Queeried [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.queeried.com/the-bully-suicide-project-giving-victims-of-bullying-their-voices-back/
Sore eye (Red Eye) prevention at home | friendflame [Web log post]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://friendflame.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/sore-eye-red-eye-prevention-at-home/
Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Nansel, T. R. (2009). School Bullying Among US Adolescents: Physical, Verbal, Relational and Cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(4), 368–375. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.021
Warren, L., & Keanelly, M. (2012, October 16). Amanda Todd: Anonymous names man who drove teen to kill herself for spreading nude pictures | Mail Online. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2218532/Amanda-Todd-Anonymous-names-man-drove-teen-kill-spreading-nude-pictures.html
youthvoice, lady gaga and a very special cause - Mixologi [Web log post]. (2011, November 17). Retrieved from http://mixologicity.com/youthvoice-lady-gaga-and-a-very-special-cause/