Bullying: The Third-Leading Cause Of Suicide

Bullying is a very prevalent and serious issue in today’s society. Sometimes it is hard to recognize what bullying is and what it isn’t. The dictionary defines bully as use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants. Bullying usually occurs inside school, at the playground, on the bus, at home or even at work. Bullying has become more deadly over the years, and in some cases leads to self-harm, depression, suicide behaviors or even suicide. The dictionary also defines suicide as; the act of taking one's own life on purpose. Suicidal behavior is any action that could cause a person to die Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths …show more content…
Bullying is aggressive behavior towards an individual person or group of people that is often repeated or has the possibility of being repeated. Bullying includes gossiping, name calling, starting rumors, making threats, hitting or punching, and many other ways. There are serious and lasting effects that bullying can bring, these may include depression, self-esteem issues, poor social skills and substance abuse. People who are involved with bullying, whether it’s the bully, the victim or the bystander, are at a much higher risk for suicide. Usually students who have an increased risk of suicide have relationship problems, mental health issues or school related stresses. It is known that suicide and bullying are closely related and that a person involved with bullying has a higher risk of suicide. But it is not known if suicide is a direct result of bullying. Most people who are bullied do not participate in suicidal actions, but bullying can and does significantly increase the chances of person to get involved with suicidal …show more content…
When a child or teenager is bullied, it increases the probability for them to participate in suicidal behavior, because they have low self-esteem. Students who are bullied are significantly more likely to get self-esteem issues which can then lead to depression. People who are bullied as a child, are more likely to have self-esteem issues as an adult. Adults who struggle with self-esteem issues are more likely to doubt their ability to interact socially and doubt their ability to manage conflicts. Consequences of these are often found in their relationships, education and work lives. It is not known if children with self-esteem issues are bullied because of it, or if the actual act of bullying causes self-esteem. According to Massachusetts Citizens for Children, “boys who are victimized by bullied experience such a drop in their self-esteem level that they are eight times more likely to contemplate suicide than kids who are not bullied and four times more likely than girls who experience some form of