Bullying and Teenage Suicide
Suicide is one serious issue that has often been overlooked in the teenage world. Suicide can plainly be described as the act of taking one’s life either intentionally or voluntarily by individuals who are of sound mind. The society in most cases look at suicide as a murder thus ignoring the seriousness of the reason why one would chose to end their life. This is a major reason why suicide is one of the main leading causes of death among the youths who are aged between 15 to 24 years old (Brière, p. 41). Getting bullied is not fun, it affects one’s self esteem and it is a major contributor to increased teen suicide in the world.
Teenage suicide rates continue to increase every year and it is estimated that there is an increase of about 200% since the year 1970 which is a very great increase for something that is so heart-breaking (Brière, p. 64). There are about 10,000 suicide cases that are reported every year, though the number that is not reported could actually be four time more. What the society needs to understand is that suicide is not a one day thought; it is a manifestation of series of processes that have gone through an individual’s mind for a certain time. During these processes, there are some visible signs that an individual shows such drug abuse; isolation among others and the society around them can use these changes to help understand what that individual is going through (Brière, p. 72). One of the prime causes of suicidal thoughts is bullying, this can take many forms including verbal, where the bullies can basically make hurting sentiments that are rude and hurtles. It can also be physical where the victim can be physically abused and endure severe body injuries and if no one steps in and resolves the issue, it can trigger suicidal thoughts due to the isolation and loneliness from the world around them.
Teenage is a difficult stage in life; this is the phase in one’s life that they have to learn how to be an adult which means making big life changing decisions (Kutner, p 1). This is the stage where one is trying to fit in within the society and it can be depressing especially for people who have low self-esteem which is one of the reasons that have led to increased suicide rates among this age group. Teenagers are always faced with many day to day problems that include bullying which adults often disregard, often brushing it off as a stage that will come to pass (Ollove, p1). Difficulty in dealing with these issues leads to development of other serious problems that in the end result in depression and suicidal thoughts. When a teenager is facing bullying problems that they feel unable to deal with, they feel like all hope is lost and they go into an emotive dysregulation state (Kutner, p 1). During this state, the teenagers will often be involved in drug abuse and alcoholism, which affects the brain chemical balance thus strengthening the feelings of loneliness and sadness. At this point even when the teenager decides to withdraw from the drugs and the alcoholism, the feeling of hopelessness and self-hate always arise which is a great contributor to the suicide thoughts.
Technology is something that has taken over the life of people in the modern world and this has also intensified the concept of bullying (Ollove, p1). Everything revolves around technology and this includes even the social interactions which have a great effect on an individual’s self-sense. Social media maybe a new phenomenon but it has swept the world where it fuses social interactions with technology thus allowing the creation of user generated content (Twenge, p 1). This has greatly transformed the traditional methods of communication by allowing people especially teenagers to instantaneously and interactively share personal information with one another. Every young person all over the world owns or has an access to a smartphone or a computer and so their lives revolve around texting, chatting, posting their life events among others (Brière, p. 76). Their whole life practically relies on technology and so the perception of the other people on them greatly matters in shaping who they truly are, technology hence has a great effect on the increasing suicide rates among teenagers. Cyber bullying is a great factor in teen suicides; young people have over the years opted to commit suicide because of experiencing cyber bullying for instance harassments through text messages, body shaming through social media (Twenge, p 1). The bullies may decide to post personal private information of their victims on social media which gets circulated all over the school and this can be very depressing leading to suicidal thoughts for the victims.
Ways to reduce escalating teen suicide rates
Teenage suicide is an issue that can be avoided because it is basically brought about by temporary problems that can be dealt with once they are confirmed. Parents, guardians, teachers and the society at large have a major role to play in helping prevent suicide among the young people (Ollove, p1). These are the people who live with these teenagers at homes and schools, and they should hence be involved and aware of the things that these young people are facing in their day to day lives. A parent, teacher or a guardian should ensure that they create a good relationship with the teenagers so that they are able to open up to them without fear or shame about what they are going through in their lives (Ollove, p1). These people should take every issue that is brought to them seriously even when it feels like it just a minor thing because the issue can be major for the teenager. Any teenager that is noticed to have a drastic change in behaviour should be helped through counselling sessions and getting involved in fun activities in order to help them feel loved as well as involved (Ollove, p1). Friendships are important, having people to talk to and laugh with whether in good times or bad is important. Young people do not really have the independence that is required to help on confront life alone and thus the need for them to have friends. The teenagers who do not have any friends are more likely to have suicidal thoughts as compared to those that have a strong support network around them (Twenge, p 1). Being depressed and having no friends for these young people offers them the time to indulge in dark suicidal thoughts. Children need to be educated about the importance of treating one another right, when a child understands the effects that rudeness and hate can impact an individual it can help them stand against bullying and avoid getting involved in bullying activities (Ollove, p1).
Suicide among teenagers can be avoided through the creation of strong support mechanisms such as parents, friends, teachers and counselling. Having the support and understanding these people can help supress any negative energy that a young individual accrues in the course of their life. As earlier indicated, suicide is not a one day thought but it is rather a process; so if the problem one is going through is intervened early enough, the rate of teenage suicide can greatly decrease.
Works cited
Brière, Frédéric N., et al. “Adolescent Suicide Attempts and Adult Adjustment.” Depression
& Anxiety (1091-4269), vol. 32, no. 4, Apr. 2015, pp. 270–276. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/da.22296.
Kutner, Max “Teen Suicide Is Contagious, and the Problem May Be Worse Than We
Thought; More than two dozen kids in and around Colorado Springs, Colorado, have killed themselves in less than two years. The main reason: Another kid did it first.” Newsweek. Oct 28, 2016, Vol. 167 Issue16. Ephost,ezproxy.mc3.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edgov&AN=edsgcl.467685679&site=eds-live&scope=site
Ollove, Michael. "Bullying Increases the Risk of Teen Suicide." Teen Suicide, edited by
Christine Watkins, Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010026231/OVIC?u=mccc_gvrl&sid=OVIC&xid=d5a5d430. Accessed 3 Oct. 2018. Originally published as "Bullying and Teen Suicide: How Do We Adjust School Climate?" www.CSMonitor.com, 28 Apr. 2010.
Twenge, Jean. "Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation?." The Atlantic. N.p., 2018.
Web. 8 Oct. 2017.
