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