bullying, lgbt hate, and depression & suicide
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By Sarah Ridenour
Bullying, LGBT Hate, and
Depression & Suicide
BullyingForms of bullying:
Physical – any violence or property
damage or stealing
Verbal – teasing, name calling,
spreading rumors
Emotional – acting a certain way to
hurt another person’s feelings like
embarrassing someone
Cyber – texts, instant messages, and
social networks are used to offend,
embarrass, or threaten someone
Meredith Farmer “My biggest fear” December 13, 2006 via Flickr CC BY NC ND
Imagine if Hollister brand clothing wasn’t considered cool. Would you still like it? Would you still wear it? Probably not because you know you would get teased for it. Now what about the people that have the guts to wear what they like. Should they really be punished for expressing themselves?
Isai Zepeda “Hollister.” July 12, 2009 by Isa's Photography via Flickr CC BY NC SA
Statistics:2.7 million students are being bullied each year2.1 million students are bullies160,00 kids (15%) who miss school every day
say it’s because they fear of being bullied Cyber bullying has increased more than any
other type of bullying due to social networking sites like Facebook
Half of the suicides among teens are related to bullying
Bullying
The Golden Rule: treat others how you want to be treated.
Ask friends to help defend you and offer emotional support.
Ignoring bullies doesn’t always work, so just don’t show them that you’re scared. Confront them in a confident tone and with assertive body language.
Don’t bully back. Don’t take a long time to act, get help the minute you
are being bullied.If you see someone else being bullied, tell the bully to
stop in the same way if you were being bullied. Get other friends involved too; there’s power in numbers.
Battle Bullying
LGBT HateLGBT stands for “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender”.Forms of LGBT Hate:
Saying “that’s so gay” meaning that something is stupid or uncool.
Bullying someone because they are not straight. (What do you know, there’s that bullying issue
again…)Threatening someone or being violent to someone
who is LGBT.
Mktp “Rainbow Flag” May 30, 2009 via Flickr CC BY NC SA
Mktp “Sous le même drapeau” May 30, 2009 via Flickr CC BY NC SA
Imagine that instead of the term “that’s so gay” being popular, “that’s so straight” was a popular term to describe something negatively. If you’re straight, how would you feel if someone said that?
Now (if you’re straight) imagine if you were gay. Think of everything you’d have to go through just to be who you are. Coming out, telling your parents and friends, dealing with bullies, finding a partner and wanting to get married. How would you feel if you were hated and discriminated against just for who you’re naturally attracted to?
Statistics:
LGBT teens are 2-3 times more likely to commit
suicide than straight teens.
4 out of 5 gay kids believe they have no adults at
school that would help them.
28% of gays drop out of school, which is over 3 times
the national average of straight students.
LGBT Hate
Instead of saying “that’s so gay” say “that’s lame”.If you hear someone say “that’s so gay”, politely ask
them to not say it because it’s offensive.Offensive things you shouldn’t say to gay people:
It’s a choiceIt’s a sin/It’s against God/You’ll go to hellIt’s unnaturalYou can’t reproduce that way
Instead of fighting back, try to discuss your differences rationally.
Battle LGBT Hate
Statistics:About 121 million people in the world suffer from
depression; 18 million in the USA.20% of teens will suffer from depression at some
point before they become an adult.Depression that goes untreated often results in self-
injury, addiction, or even suicide.Each year, about 1 million people die from suicide.Suicide is one of the top 3 leading cause of death in
people ages 15-44.Suicide among young adults is increasing the
fastest
Depression and Suicide
Warning Signs & Symptoms:Unusual irritabilityFatigueDifficulty with sleepingHopelessness or pessimismUnusually low self-esteemHard time concentrating or
rememberingLoss of interest in pleasurable activitiesThoughts of death or suicide
Depression
Photo: Sander van der Wel “Depressed” May 29, 2010 via Flickr CC BY SA
Warning Signs & Symptoms:Talking about suicideFeeling hopeless and helplessSelf-hatredSaying goodbyeIsolating themselvesReckless behaviorUncommon fascination with death or
violenceTrying to obtain objects used for suicideSudden happiness after being depressed
Decided to commit suicide
Suicide
Photo: shattered.art66 “Depression” March 20, 2009 via Flickr CC BY ND
Helping a Relative or Friend with Depression:Try not to take their symptoms personallyDon’t ignore it; talk to them about it and get help for
themDon’t think “It’ll get better by itself”You cannot make someone else’s depression go awayListen to them the right way – don’t judge or argue
Suicide Prevention:Talk to the person you’re worried about
Be careful about what you say and how you say itGet help for them from a professionalAct immediately if the suicidal risk is severeDon’t leave the person aloneGet rid of all lethal objects that could be used in a
suicide
Battle Depression and Suicide
Bullying: http://www.ranchopicojuniorhigh.com/counseling/Rancho%20Pico%20Website_files/pa
ge0024.htm http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics-2010.html
LGBT Hate: http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/children-s-mental-health/bullying-and-ga
y-youth http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/gay-bullying-statistics.html
Depression and Suicide: http://www.twloha.com/facts/ http://www.ifred.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=5
32 http://www.helpguide.org/mental/living_depressed_person.htm http://www.helpguide.org/mental/suicide_prevention.htm
Resources