Sunday, June 9, 2013

Bullycide - When Bullying Leads to Suicide


The term bullycide was originally coined by journalist Neil Marr, who wrote a book called Bullycide: Death at Playtime. This book discusses the torment children and teens suffer from cases of bullying. Some teens and children simply cannot take the torment and the depression they find themselves facing after countless occasions of bullying, bullied either physically or verbally. There are many types of bullying from pushing and shoving to hurtful words and rumors. Cyberbullying is also a new type of bullying that is continuing to grow describing the type of bullying that takes place online. As online social networking websites continue to grow, so do the rates of cyberbullying. In recent years, countless cases of bullying has reached epidemic levels, which is why so many teens are at risk for bullycide.

What is Bullycide?

Bullycide is a term used to describe suicide as a result of bullying. Bullycide cases are difficult to track statistically, but many suicides from the past few years among teens are not being attributed to cases of severe bullying in school and online. Teens are major targets for mean activity from their peers. Bullying is no exception. Bullycide usually comes as a result of teen depression after the teen is teased and bullied mercilessly over the course of an extended period of time. If you know a teen that is exhibiting signs of depression and is being bullied, it is a good idea to ensure that teen gets help from an adult or reliable source to make the bullying stop. From there, they will most likely need help with dealing with their teen depression. Preventing the levels of teen depression from growing is one of the best ways to help prevent bullycide.

Types of bullying include verbal and physical. While physical bullying can have both a physical and emotional effect, verbal bullying is the type of bullying that continues to increase in popularity. Teens may feel they can get away with verbal types of bullying more, which is why it is such a growing trend among teens. Verbal bullying can include face-to-face name calling as well as spreading rumors or taking behind a person's back. Verbal bullying also takes on a fuller form online when teens use social networking tools like Facebook, MySpace and other resources to spread lies about their peers or to gang up on their classmates. Bullying in any form can have a long-lasting effect on a person's self-esteem. Having poor self-esteem is a direct result of teen depression in many cases. From this point, bullycide becomes a desired option for some who are dealing with teen depression issues.

Bullycide Prevention:

The best way to enact bullycide prevention is to prevent the cause before it starts. Teachers and schools are doing a better job at cracking down on bullying before it starts. However, it is also up to the parent to watch for warning signs that their child is being bullied. If a teen is acting withdrawn, "losing" their personal property or is facing issues like teen depression, it might be because they are being bullied. This is when it is important for parents to step in and talk to their teen. Communication is of the utmost importance in situations like these. Be sure to talk to those who are facing issues like bullying before it reaches dangerous proportions like bullycide. Help build self-esteem in your teen because that is a great way to help them if they are bullied by others. Those with low self-esteem are more likely to suffer from teen depression or to become victims of bullying. By enforcing that feeling of self-esteem, the teen is more likely to be able to handle any kind of bullying situation or will be fortunate not to find themselves in that situation in the first place. Ending bullying before it begins is the best way to prevent these tragic cases of bullycide.

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