Bullying and SuicideBullying and Suicide

Bullying is not "just a rite of passage." In actuality, says the National Crime Prevention Council, it's a leading factor in suicide among kids 11 to 16 years of age. And although bullying is only one of a number of suicide-related risk factors impacting tweens and teens, the fact that the term "bullycide" has entered the lexicon is a telling sign of how closely linked bullying and suicide are perceived to be. Structured around two scenarios in which a boy and a girl commit suicide after repeatedly being bullied, this video offers valuable insights into bully and victim psychology, types of bullying, and anti-bullying behavior through penetrating commentary by Erica Perlow, of the Chatham County North Carolina Bullying Prevention Task Force, and psychologist April Harris-Britt. In addition, alternate scenarios are included that illustrate how bystanders to bullying can help neutralize some of the cumulative psychological effects of bullying that could-and too frequently do-push students to take their own lives.