Bully-Related Suicide

parents, friends, and other concerned people should be on the lookout for signs of depression in children and teens, especially those who have been bullies or bully victims. Some signs of depression can include: * Long lasting sadness or irritability, including unexplained outbursts of crying or anger * Sudden loss of interest in activities the person usually enjoys * Withdrawal from others * Changes in sleep patterns, either sleeping a lot or not being able to sleep * Sudden changes in appetite or eating habits * Always feeling tired or slow * Being restless, anxious, or worried * Not being able to concentrate or think clearly * Feeling worthless, guilty, helpless, or hopeless * Aches and pains
"All About Bullying: Why Should Adults Care?" [online]
The statistics on bullying and suicide are alarming: * Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.
Bully-related suicide can be connected to any type of bullying, including physical bullying, emotional bullying, cyberbullying, and sexting, or circulating suggestive or nude photos or messages about a person.
Some people question whether legislation specifically aimed at bullying adds anything new to existing laws. While many people are eager to see bullying addressed, others question whether existing laws about harassment, safety, violence, and destruction of property are actually sufficient. In addition, many individual schools have felt compelled to come up with bullying plans that they feel are appropriate to their situation. The particular wording of the bullying law at the state level could redirect attention from where individual schools have felt moved to place it based on their
This type of bullying usually involves name calling and or teasing * Social. Spreading rumors, intentionally leaving others out of activities on purpose, breaking up friendships are all examples of social bullying. * Physical. This traditional form of bullying involves hitting, punching, shoving and other acts of intention physical harm. * Cyberbullying. This method of bullying involves using the Internet, texting, email and other digital technologies to harm others.
Facts on bullying: * Imbalance of power. Typically those who engage in bully-like behaviors use their strength, popularity or power to harm, control or manipulate others. They will usually target those who are weaker in size or may have a difficult time defending themselves. * Intent to cause harm. A bully is a person who does not do things by accident. The bully intends to physically or emotionally injure a person or group of persons. * Repetition. Typically incidents of bullying are not a one-time thing. Bullies target the same person or group over and over again.
The facts on bullying also provide information on what types of signs to look for in children who might be bullying others. * Becomes frequently