Maylis+Concepcion



Maylis Concepcion Jeff and P.G Collage Bound 901 June 4, 2013 Bullying Affects Teens

Bullying has been a significant problem since the 1970s. It’s a big problem around the world and a big problem here in the U.S. Over 3.5 million teens and kids get bullied each year. Some people don’t think bullying is a big deal, but it is. Studies show that bullying leads to suicidal thoughts and suicidal thoughts lead to actual suicide, if not helped. Bullying affects teens in the following ways: 1) it lowers their self-esteem. The victim ends up think what the bully is telling them, is true. 2) It leads to suicide. Kids/teens can’t handle the tormenting so they choose suicide as their last hope to end all the bullying. 3) They get hurt physically. The bully, pushes them around, hits them, or abuses them in any way shape or form. According to D'Arcy Lyness, PhD, in the article, “How Does Bullying Make People Feel”, she states “Studies show that kids who are involved in bullying — bullies, victims and a third subgroup of particularly problematic kids who engage in both behaviors and are referred to as bully-victims — are more likely to have started out with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues that predispose them to lashing out and to self-harm."

Bullies don’t realize that bullying the victim lowers their self-esteem. In the article, “How Does Bullying Make People Feel?” D’Arcy Lyness, PhD states that “Studies show that people who are abused by their peers are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, depression, or anxiety.” When this happens, the victim often goes home and thinks about what the bully told him/her. He/she starts thinking about it, and starts to realize that the bully is actually true. That their either, ugly, have some sort of ‘mutation’ or that no one will want them in the future.

Studies suggest those who are bullied are at a higher risk of committing suicide. In “Bullying and Suicide”, it states that “Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.” It also states that “Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University… According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying.” That’s probably one of the main reason why teens and kids have so many lateness and absences. According to [|How Does Bullying Lead to Suicide], it states that with the advent of technology, cyber-bullying has become more prevalent. According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, cyber-bullying is “a new way of communication through social media and texting to harass and cause emotional harm to victims.” With teens as major users of smartphones and social media, teens could become for susceptible to cyber-bullying and become more likely to commit suicide. A major problem among youth in the United State is suicide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the third leading cause of death for your students ages 12-18.

Lastly, victims usually get bullied physically. According to [|Physical Bullying], it states that physical bullying can take many forms such as, Hitting, Pushing, Tripping, Slapping, Spitting, Stealing or destroying possessions, including books, clothing, or lunch money. Physical bullying can also cross the line to sexual harassment and or sexual assault. In the article “Physical Bullying”, it states that “Victims of physical bullying are usually physically weaker than the bullies, and also may be socially marginalized for some reason, including weight, ethnicity, or other characteristics that make it harder for them to fit in. Bullying can have serious consequences for the victim, leading to low self-esteem, depression, trouble at school, and sometimes even violent behavior.” Signs that someone is getting bullied are: Coming home from school with bruises, cuts, or other unexplained injuries, having damaged clothing, books, or possessions, often "losing" things that they take to school, complaining of frequently not feeling well before school or school activities, skipping certain classes, wanting to avoid going to school or going to school a certain way, such as taking strange routes home from school or not wanting to ride the bus, acting sad or depressed, withdrawing from others, saying they feel picked on, displaying low self-esteem, mood swings, including anger or sadness, wanting to run away, trying to take a weapon to school, talking about suicide or violence against others.



[|See video here.]

In conclusion, bullying has affected many teens. Bullying lowers their self-esteem, it makes them want to take the “easy way out”, suicide, and it not only harms them emotionally or mentally, but also physically. Bullying, as your reading, is going on right this second! In my opinion, bullying is a waste of time and a waste of someone’s precious life. I think everyone should know about the harm bullying has on people.