Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old
boy from Tehachapi,
California, has committed
suicide …
… Seth Walsh died Tuesday,
September 28 after spending nine
days on life support after hanging
himself from a tree in his yard.
Seth Walsh's classmates say the 13year-old was repeatedly bullied for
being gay.
What is Bullying?
•
Bullying is the assertion of power
through aggression. Its forms change
with age: school playground bullying,
sexual harassment. Gang attacks,
date violence, assault, marital
violence child abuse, workplace
harassment and elder abuse (Pepler
and Craig, 1997)“
•
Bullying is not about anger . It is not a
conflict to be resolved, it’s about
contempt –a powerful feeling of
dislike toward someone considered
to be worthless, inferior or
undeserving of respect. Contempt
comes with three apparent
psychological advantages that allow
kids to harm others without feeling
empathy, compassion or shame.
These are: a sense of entitlement,
that they have the right to hurt or
control others, an intolerance
towards difference, and a freedom to
exclude, bar, isolate and segregate
others” (Barbara Coloroso “The Bully,
the Bullied and the Bystander)
Like Thieves In The Night
Brandon’s Story - “Bullies
Who Kill”
Brandon Chris Swartwood 2/21/82 – 12/16/00
“While you are going through the
system to fight for your child's rights,
your child is the one going into the
battlefield
…and today could be the day that he
or she is fatally wounded.”
Brandon's mom, Cathy Swartwood
Mitchell
Bullying Myths and Facts
• Myth: “Bullying is just,
stage, a normal part of
life. I went through it
my kids will too. ”
• Fact: Bullying is not
“normal” or socially
acceptable behavior.
We give bullies power
by our acceptance of
this behavior.
• Myth: “If I tell someone,
it will just make it
worse.”
• Fact: Research shows
that bullying will stop
when adults in
authority and peers get
involved .
BEN VODDEN
Found hanged: The bullied
11-year-old boy who even
the bus driver called names
When Ben Vodden told his mother he
was being bullied on the school bus,
she advised him to sit next to the
driver.
Yet rather than look after him, the
driver joined in the taunts and called
the 11-year-old names, it has been
claimed.
Ben finally was found hanged after
enduring months of bullying by pupils
on the bus, an inquest heard.
The boy – nicknamed Giggles by his
family because of his "fun-loving and
enthusiastic" nature – was found with
shoelaces around his neck and tied to
his bunk bed.
Bullying Myths and Facts
• Myth: “Just stand up for yourself
and hit them back”
• Fact: While there are some times
when people can be forced to
defend themselves, hitting back
usually makes the bullying worse
and increases the risk for serious
physical harm.
• Myth: “Bullying is a school
problem, the teachers should
handle it”
• Fact: Bullying is a broader social
problem that often happens
outside of schools, on the street,
at shopping centers, the local
pool, summer camp and in the
adult workplace.”
• Myth: “People are born bullies”
• Fact: Bullying is a learned
behavior and behaviors can be
changed.
Fighting The System
Jared’s Story - "The scars
never go away“
Jared Benjamin High 09/23/85 – 09/29/98
Put yourself into the shoes of a victim
of bullying. Every day a child is bullied
is an eternity to them. We worry
about terrorists coming into our
country and doing us harm. A victim
of bullying walks into their school each
day knowing their terrorist could strike
any moment and destroy their
wounded spirit again, and again. How
long can a child play on the freeway
dodging cars before the experience
finally becomes too much and they go
over the edge? ~Brenda
Bullying Statistics 2010
•
According to bullying statistics 2010,
there are about 2.7 million students
being bullied each year by about 2.1
students taking on the roll of the
bully.
•
One in seven students in grades
kindergarten through 12th grade is
either a bully or has been a victim of
bullying
•
A reported 61 percent of students
said they believe students shoot
others at school because they have
been victims of physical violence at
home or at school.
•
According to the gay bullying
statistics from the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
community, about one fourth of all
students from elementary age
through high school are the victims
of bullying and harassment while on
school property because of their
race, ethnicity, gender, disability,
religion or sexual orientation.
•
In a 2005 survey about gay bullying
statistics, teens reported that the
number two reason they are bullied
is because of their actual or
perceived sexual orientation or
gender expression. The number one
reason reported was because of
appearance.
AUSTIN MURPHY
Austin was sweet, generous, kind and
intelligent. He wanted to be himself
and just...play. He was a friend to
those who needed one. He impacted
so many lives with his effervescent
spirit. He gave with his heart without
expecting anything in return, other
than fairness.
...Unfortunately, the kids with the low
self esteem slowly grated away
Austin's healthy self esteem until he
must have thought, if he couldn't be
himself, then why be at all. When did
having a healthy self esteem and just
wanting to be yourself, become so
unpopular? On March 16, 2007,
Austin completed suicide.
More Bullying Statistics
•
Over half, about 56 percent, of all students
have witnesses a bullying crime take place
while at school.
•
A reported 15 percent of all students who
don't show up for school report it to being
out of fear of being bullied while at school.
•
There are about 71 percent of students that
report bullying as an on-going problem.
•
Along that same vein, about one out of every
10 students drops out or changes schools
because of repeated bullying.
•
One out of every 20 students has seen a
student with a gun at school.
•
Some of the top years for bullying include
4th through 8th graders in which 90 percent
were reported as victims of some kind of
bullying.
•
Other recent bullying statistics reveal that 54
percent of students reported that witnessing
physical abuse at home can lead to violence
in school.
•
Among students of all ages, homicide
perpetrators were found to be twice as likely
as homicide victims to have been bullied
previously by their peers.
•
There are about 282,000 students that are
reportedly attacked in high schools
throughout the nation each month.
Girl to Girl Bullying
Corinne’s Story - “Just Go
Home and Kill Yourself”
Corinne Wilson 09/30/91 – 10/06/04
Relational Aggression – Girl to Girl
Bullying Examined
...It started slowly with rumors, secrets
and exclusion; it progressed to
harassment and violence. Like most
victims of relational aggression,
Corinne blamed herself for her bully’s
behavior. She internalized her pain
and kept the bullying to herself in an
attempt to maintain a relationship
with her bullies, as many girls do. As a
result, it damaged her self-esteem and
caused severe depression, which
ultimately led to Corinne taking her
life. ~Rochelle
Bullying
• There are several ways that bullying can take
place including
• verbal
• physical
• cyberbullying
• indirect bullying
DESIRE' NICOLE DREYER
Born April 3, 1989 / Died
January 18, 2006
by Suicide / Depression
My daughter, Desire' Dreyer attended
Glen Este High School in Amelia,
Ohio. She was a varsity cheerleader,
had a personality that we all only wish
we could possess, had a smile that
would take your breath away, had a
heart of gold and had more friends
than any of us will ever have in this
lifetime. But on a cold wintery day,
January 18, 2006 she took her own
life, the day I died inside. She was
being bullied by a group of girls from
her school.
Verbal and Physical
• Verbal bullying arises from name calling that
may be done because of a person's gender,
sexual orientation, minority status, race,
religious, etc.
• Physically being bullied usually entails some
sort of physical assault or attack, or can also
include having one's personal property
destroyed or stolen.
JULIAN HOUTS
...Julian always had problems in
school. He was often bullied, and we
would always address it to the school,
but we often heard 'boys will be
boys'. Julian could of been considered
a 'loner'. He always said he had no
friends and complained about getting
bullied in school. We even put him in a
private school at one time to try to
make things better for him, but it
never was.
Cyber and Indirect
• Cyber bullying can also fall into the category of
indirect bullying, but includes bullying that is
done over any type of electronic medium like text
messaging, email, pictures sent via text or email,
websites, blogs, message boards, chat-rooms and
instant messaging.
• Indirect bullying is one of the most common
types of bullying is the type of bullying that many
people may do without even realizing it. Indirect
bullying includes spreading stories and rumors
about a person behind his or her back as well as
exclusion from social groups.
Hazing – Another Form Of
Bullying
Matt’s Story - “Rite of
Passage"
Matthew Alexander Epling –
2/10/88 – 7/16/02
A Personal How-To Guide To Effecting
Change
Hazing has a few different components
than bullying, but at the core, they are
both about “power and control”. One
person has power and control, one
person does not. Bullying,
harassment, and hazing - they are all
sick twisted cousins. It is sometimes
hard to define when hazing is an
assault and when repeated hazing
became bullying. In order to make a
wider base we wanted to incorporate
all of the aspects of bullying,
harassment and hazing together into a
comprehensive anti bullying
plan. ~Tammy & Kevin Epling
School Bullying
• In a recent SAFE survey, teens in grades sixth
through 10th grade are the most likely to be
involved in activities related to bullying.
• About thirty percent of students in the United
States are involved in bullying on a regular
basis either as a victim, bully or both.
Ryan Patrick Halligan
1989 - 2003
October 7, 2003 will always be the day
that divides my life. Before that day my
son Ryan was alive. A sweet, gentle
and lanky thirteen year old fumbling
his way through early adolescence and
trying to establish his place in the
often confusing and difficult social
world of middle school. After that day
my son would be gone forever, a death
by suicide. Some would call it bullycide
or even cyber bullycide. I just call it a
huge hole in my heart that will never
heal.
School Bullying Statistics
• When it comes to verbal
bullying, this type of bullying is
the most common type with
about 77 percent of all
students being bullied verbally
in some way or another
including mental bullying or
even verbal abuse. These
types of bullying can also
include spreading rumors,
yelling obscenities or other
derogatory terms based on an
individual's race, gender,
sexual orientation, religion,
etc.
• Out of the 77 percent of those
bullied, 14 percent have a
severe or bad reaction to the
abuse, according to recent
school bullying statistics.
These numbers make up the
students that experience poor
self-esteem, depression,
anxiety about going to school
and even suicidal thoughts
(bullycide) as a result of being
bullied by their peers.
Jessica Haffer
October 2, 1989November 23, 2003
School Bullying Statistics
• Also as part of this study,
about one in five students
admitted they are
responsible for bullying
their peers.
• School bullying statistics
also reveal that teens ages
12-17 believe they have
seen violence increase at
their schools.
• Almost half of all students
fear harassment or bullying
in the bathroom at school,
according to these school
bullying statistics.
• In fact, these numbers also
show that most violent
altercations between
students are more likely to
occur on school grounds
than on the way to school
for many teens.
Seung-Hui Cho
(January 18, 1984 – April 16,
2007)
… was a senior-level undergraduate
student at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University who
killed 32 people and wounded 17
others on April 16, 2007, in the
shooting rampage which came to be
known as the "Virginia Tech massacre.“
ho later committed suicide after law
enforcement officers breached the
doors of the building where the
majority of the shooting had taken
place.
What's the risk of being bullied at school?
• Bullying begins in elementary school, peaks in middle school, and
falls off in high school. It does not, however, disappear altogether.
(The Facts About Bullying, 1997)
• 61.6% of students who are bullied are picked on because of their
looks or speech. (U.S. News & World Report, May 7, 2001)
• Of the students who are bullied, 55.6% report being hit, slapped, or
pushed. (U.S. News & World Report, May 7, 2001)
• In a 1994 survey, it was reported that 22% of all teenaged students
had been in a fight in the past year. 34% of those fighting were boys
while only 11% were girls. (Harvard School of Public Health)
Jamey Rodemeyer
(March 21, 1997 –
September 18, 2011)
… was an openly gay teenager, known
for his activism against homophobia
and his videos on YouTube to help
victims of bullying.
He took his own life as a result of the
constant bullying he faced
How do students react to bullying?
•
Up to 7% of eighth grade students
stay home at least once a month
because of bullies.
•
In a 1993 survey of students grades
6-12, 50% knew someone who
switched schools to feel safer.
(National School Safety Center)
•
More than 43 percent of middle
school and high school students
avoid using school bathrooms for fear
of being harassed or assaulted.
(Mothering, May/June 2001)
•
One in fifteen students said they
avoided certain places at school
because they feared being attacked.
(Harvard School of Public Health)
•
Only 25% of students report that
teachers intervene in bullying
situations, while 71% of teachers
believe they always intervene.
•
When asked, students uniformly
expressed the desire that teachers
intervene rather than ignore teasing
and bullying. (Maine Project Against
Bullying)
•
By age 24, 60% of identified bullies
have a criminal conviction.
Jessie Logan
Jessica Logan (18) hanged herself after
her boyfriend circulated a nude photo
of her.
How widespread is violence in our
schools?
• The U.S. Department of Education estimates that each year, three million
thefts and violent crimes occur in or near schools. That's an average of
16,000 such incidents per school day. (Harvard School of Public Health)
• In a 1994 survey of 700 communities, 80% of respondents said that
violence was a serious problem in classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds.
(National School Safety Center)
• In a 1993 survey of 720 school districts nationwide, 82% reported an
increase in violence in their school over the past five years. (Harvard
School of Public Health)
• In a 1993 survey of students grades 6-12, 79% said that violence was
caused by "stupid things like bumping into someone." Other causes of
violence included: boyfriend-girlfriend disputes, outsiders, racism, and
gangs. (National School Safety Center)
What It Feels Like
April’s Story - “8 Months to
Bullycide”
.. April Himes - 4/27/86 –
2/14/00
The Pain of Depression - What It Feels
Like
A person that takes his/her life by
suicide is not thinking of themselves or
anyone else. A depressed and suicidal
person is not thinking - the brain is not
functioning well enough to have any
real thoughts. There are only feelings.
It's all about emotions. You feel sad,
upset, unloved, disparity, hopeless,
helpless, alone, gloomy, weighted
down and rejection. ~Summer
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can take many forms:
•Sending mean messages or threats to a person's email account or cell phone
•Spreading rumors online or through texts
•Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages
•Stealing a person's account information to break into their account and send
damaging messages
•Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person
•Taking unflattering pictures of a person and spreading them through cell phones
or the Internet
•Sexting, or circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages about a person
Jamie Hubley, Gay 15-YearOld Ottawa, Canada Teen
Commits Suicide, Cites
Depression, School Troubles
Im a casualty of love.
Well, Im tired of life really. Its so hard, Im sorry, I
cant take it anymore.
First Id like to mention my friends Nancy, Abby,
Colleen, jemma, and Kasia
Being sad is sad : /. I’v been like this for way to
long. I cant stand school, I cant stand earth, I
cant stand society, I cant stand the scars on my
arms, I cant f***ing stand any f***ing thing.
I dont want my parents to think this is their
fault either… I love my mom and dad : ) Its just
too hard. I dont want to wait 3 more years, this
hurts too much. How do you even know It will
get better? Its not.
I hit rock f***ing bottom, fell through a crack,
now im stuck.
My favorite singers were lady gaga , Adele , Katy
perry, and Jessie james, Christina aguilara and
most of all I think KASIA!!! I LOVED Singing, and
she helped me a lot : ) Im not that good at it
though :”/, Im going to miss you guys
(well You know who you are, But to the people
who didnt like me (many) A big f*** you, Go
ride a unicorn. But w/e I love you anyway.)
Remember me as a Unicorn :3 x) MAybe in my
next life Il be a flying squirreel :D
Il fly away.
Cyberbullying Statistics
• About 80 percent of all high
school students have
encountered being bullied in
some fashion online.
• About half of all teens admit
they have said something
mean or hurtful to another
teen online.
• These growing numbers are
being attributed to youth
violence including both
homicide and suicide.
• Most have done it more than
once.
• About 35 percent of teens
have been actually threatened
online.
• While school shootings across
the country are becoming
more and more common,
most teens that say they have
considered becoming violent
toward their peers, wish to do
so because they want to get
back at those who have bullied
them online.
Phoebe Prince
November 24, 1994
January 14, 2010 (aged 15)
On January 14, 2010, after a day of
harassment and taunting, followed by
a final incident in which a student
threw a can at her from a passing car
as she walked home from school,
Prince committed suicide by hanging
herself in the stairwell leading to the
second floor of the family apartment.
Her body was discovered by her 12year-old sister. After her death, many
crude comments about her were
posted on her Facebook memorial
page, most of which were removed
Cyberbullying Statistics

Around half of teens have been the victims
of cyber bullying
•More than 1 in 3 young people have
experienced cyberthreats online.
•Over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have
been bullied repeatedly through their cell
phones or the Internet.
•About half of young people have experienced
some form of cyberbullying, and 10 to 20
percent experience it regularly

Cyber bullying victims are more likely to have
low self esteem and to consider suicide
•Only 1 in 10 teens tells a parent if they have
been a cyber bully victim
•Fewer than 1 in 5 cyber bullying incidents are
reported to law enforcement
•1 in 10 adolescents or teens have had
embarrassing or damaging pictures taken of
themselves without their permission, often
using cell phone cameras
•Mean, hurtful comments and spreading rumors
are the most common type of cyber bullying
•About 1 in 5 teens have posted or sent sexually
suggestive or nude pictures of themselves to
others
•Cyber bullying affects all races
•Girls are somewhat more likely than boys to be
involved in cyber bullying
Death by Computer
Jeffrey’s Story - "Sixth out of
Seven, Number-One Son,
Right-hand Man"
Jeffrey Scott Johnston 12/21/89 – 6/29/05
“A bully doesn’t have to be eye to eye
to bully someone. Sometimes he or
she gets into cyberspace, and then
there’s no place to hide from their
torment.”
Debbie Johnston
Gay Bullying Statistics
• According to recent gay
bullying statistics, gay and
lesbian teens are two to
three times as more likely to
commit teen suicide than
other youths.
• About 30 percent of all
completed suicides have
been related to sexual
identity crisis.
• Students who also fall into
the gay, bisexual, lesbian or
transgendered identity
groups report being five
times as more likely to miss
school because they feel
unsafe after being bullied
due to their sexual
orientation.
• About 28 percent out of
those groups feel forced to
drop out of school
altogether.
Recipe for a Disaster
Kristina’s Story - “Nice Girls
Finish Last Too” Kristina
Arielle Calco - 12/26/89 –
12/4/05
Recipe for a Disaster: Bullying to
Depression, Depression to Suicide
Take one part shy & sensitive,
impressionable, naïve young girl and
add a lack of self-esteem. Slowly stir in
puberty. Add typical teenage
pressures including friends, grades,
sports, extracurricular activities and
being perpetually on Instant
Chat. Add a daily dose of teasing,
ridicule and torment by a group of
boys and then garnish with what turns
out to be a sexually charged and
romantic online relationship with a
boy from another high school. Add to
this a seeming inability for
intervention in any way, shape or form.
Shake well and then let sit. ~Michelle
Statistics on Bullying and Suicide
• Bullycide is a term used to describe suicide as the result of
bullying.
• 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.
Billy Lucas
He was a teenager who didn't quite fit
in. His classmates said Billy Lucas was
bullied for being different.
The 15-year-old never told anyone he
was gay but students at Greensburg
High School thought he was and so
they picked on him.
Bullycide Statistics
• Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to
consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by
Yale University
• A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides
among young people are related to bullying
• 10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for
suicide, according to the study above
• Suicide rates are continuing to grow among adolescents,
and have grown more than 50 percent in the past 30
years.
13-year-old commits suicide
after repeated bullying for
being Welsh
SIAN YATES
A top pupil was found hanging at her
home after classmates had teased her
for being Welsh.
The only Welsh girl at her school in
Leicester, the teenager - described by
her former head teacher as "an
amazing and popular student" - had
been bullied by a jealous classmate,
the inquiry into her death has heard.
Works Cited
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
http://rileyforkids.org/safetysmart/p
arents/bullying/index.html
Nemours, KidsHealth, "Helping Kids
Deal with Bullies" [online]
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Suicide Prevention,
"Youth Suicide" [online]
Yale University, Office of Public
Affairs, "Bullying-Suicide Link
Explored in New Study by
Researchers at Yale" [online]
Matt Dickinson, The Independent,
"Research finds bullying link to child
suicides" [online]
Michael Inbar, MSNBC Today,
"‘Sexting’ bullying cited in teen’s
suicide" [online]
Susan Donaldson James, ABC News,
Health, "Teen Commits Suicide Due
to Bullying: Parents Sue School for
Son's Death" [online]
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Erik Eckholm and Katie Zezima, The
New York Times, "6 Teenagers Are
Charged After Classmate’s Suicide"
[online]
Richard Webster, Harford County
Examiner, "From cyber bullying to
sexting: What on your kids' cell?"
[online]
i-SAFE Inc., "Cyber Bullying: Statistics
and Tips" [online]
Cyberbullying Research Center,
"Summary of our cyberbullying
research from 2004-2010" [online]
National Crime Prevention Council,
"Cyberbullying" [online]
naaas.org
makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org
zimbio.com
olweus.org
www.bullying.org
http://www.bullycide.org/
Megan Taylor Meier
(November 6, 1992 –
October 17, 2006),
was an American teenager from
Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, who
committed suicide by hanging three
weeks before her fourteenth birthday.
A year later, Meier's parents prompted
an investigation into the matter and
her suicide was attributed to cyberbullying through the social networking
website MySpace. The mother of a
friend of Meier, Lori Drew, was later
indicted on the matter in 2008, but in
2009, Drew was acquitted.
WORKS CITED
• http://www.nowpublic.com/world/sethwalsh-13-yr-old-commits-suicide-afterbullying-video-2685728.htm
• http://www.glsen.org/cgibin/iowa/all/news/record/2400.html
Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover
An 11-year-old Massachusetts boy,
Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hanged
himself Monday after enduring
bullying at school, including daily
taunts of being gay, despite his
mother's weekly pleas to the school to
address the problem. This is at least
the fourth suicide of a middle-school
aged child linked to bullying this year.