Topic:

Bullying as the cause of Suicide

Submitted to:
Dr. Abdul Sami
by
Amina Noor BSM-F17-M27

Department of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, Jhelum

Campus.
Bullying:
The definition of bullying is when an individual or a group of people with more power,
repeatedly and intentionally cause hurt or harm to another person or group of people who
feel helpless to respond. Bullying can continue over time, is often hidden from adults, and
will probably continue if no action is taken.

Bullying is not a new phenomenon and has been around since the beginning of times. It is
especially prevalent in schools and colleges amongst the youth. Bullying in educational
institutes is a concerning issues in almost every country of the world, but unfortunately the
malaise receives little or no attention in Pakistan. With the increasing decline of parental
interference in schools, bullying in educational institutions of Pakistan has increased
significantly in the last five years.

There are three main types of bullying that students experience are direct bullying, indirect
bullying, and cyber bullying. Within these categories lies verbal, physical, and social or
relational bullying.

 Direct bullying is a combination of both verbal and physical bullying. Verbal bullying
involves spoken comments or written information that is emotionally damaging to
the targeted student. Physical bullying consists of physically harming a student or
their possessions. An example of direct bullying is hitting a student while also calling
them rude names or using foul language.
 Indirect bullying is mainly verbal and is experienced frequently in schools. An
example of such behavior would be a student spreading false information about
another student with the intent to cause humiliation.
 The rise of technology has taken bullying to the internet. Cyber bullying is when
students use email or social media platforms like Facebook to write damaging
content. A common form of cyber bullying is sharing a student's private photos or
videos without their consent. This form of bullying is more insidious.

It is not like bullying is only done by fellow students, because bullying is also done by
teachers. And nothing can be worse than a student feeling worthless and pressurized
because of bullying done by a teacher. This a very common incidence in Pakistan, especially
in local government schools where teachers bully students. Insulting students in front of the
entire class, hitting them, taunting them, and picking on them are some of the few ways
teacher bully students at schools.

In today’s world, bullying is the main cause of suicide and many other mental health
problems in our youth. According to a report, in Britain, approximately half of the number of
suicides among young people is because of children being bullied. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and prevention (CDC), a third of deaths among young people, are by
suicide; that’s a total of 4,400 every year.
Suicide:
Suicide, also known as completed suicide, is the act of intentionally causing one's own
death.
 Attempted suicide or non-fatal suicide behavior is self-injury with the desire to end
one’s life that does not result in death.
 Suicidal ideation is thinking about, considering, or planning for suicide.
 Assisted suicide is when another person helps another person bring about their own
death indirectly via providing advice or the means to end.

The most commonly used methods of suicide vary by country and are partly related to
availability. The common methods include: Hanging, pesticide poisoning, and firearms.

Every 40 second someone dies by suicide somewhere around the globe. Every year, a
million people commit suicide. Suicide rates are the highest among young people and the
second leading cause of death in the age group of 15-29 years old around the world.

One large issue in school and college going youth is bullies. According to statistics, school
and college youth who are already under stress and bullied have significantly greater
chances of committing suicide.

Youth suicide continues to be a significant public health concern in many countries. One
factor that has been linked to suicide is experience with bullying. That is, youth who are
bullied, or who bully others, are at an elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, attempts, and
completed suicides. Bullying contributes to depression, decreased self-worth, hopelessness,
and loneliness – all of which are precursors to suicidal thoughts and behavior.

What makes a student opt for the tragic course of choosing a permanent solution for his
temporary problems i.e. choosing death over a troubled life? Students commit suicides
because of the crushing stress that a youngster has to go through because of bullies at
school/college and also at home.

Bully-related suicide can be connected to any type of bullying, including physical bullying,
emotional bullying, cyber bullying, and circulating personal photos or messages about a
person.

Bullying is a worldwide problem that can be linked to suicide. The third leading cause of
death in youth is suicide, which results in nearly 4,400 deaths per year (Centers for Disease
Control, 2012). At least half of these deaths are caused by bullying. Although bullying is still
seen by many to be a normal part of growing up, it is a severe problem that leads to many
negative effects, including suicide.

According to one research, youth involved in bullying in any capacity – both bullies and
victims of bullying – were more likely to think about and attempt suicide than youth who
were not involved in bullying. In short, bullying is the prevalent cause that leads to suicide.