When a 7-year-old is bullied to the point of hanging himself, it puts schoolyard teasing into a whole new light.
Just this week, the autopsy report confirms that the Detriot boy’s death was, in fact, a suicide. His parents has been aware of the bullying and were actively seeking assistance.
But, not soon enough.
His case is unusual in that most youth suicides are among older children or adolescents — the number of which has also been on the rise.
Several teen suicides have been publicized on the news in recent years, often times in relation to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying involves harassment or bullying using social media outlets either anonymously or out in the open.
Most recently in the news, the young man responsible for cyberbullying 18-year-old Tyler Clementi was sentenced for webcam spying on the homosexual teen. Clementi, a Rutgers student at the time, ultimately jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge back in 2010.
The recent reported increases in teen suicides are not simply due to more suicides occurring. It is also due to an increased awareness, according to Dr. Jacqueline Smith, child and adolescent psychiatrist at University of North Carolina Hospitals.
While increased media coverage of suicides do bring it to parents attention, it can also have the opposite effect of encouraging more suicides.
“There can be almost a contagion effect when teen suicide is highly publicized,” Smith says. “It may make it seem easier to do for those youth already contemplating suicide and — for those who haven’t yet thought about suicide — it can almost romanticize the act in their eyes.”
Suicide is the sixth leading cause of death in youth ages five to 14, and third among those 15 to 24. In general, African-American youth commit suicide less than whites. But, Smith says it’s still a concern that shouldn’t be ignored.
“If something seems different or not quite right about your child, just ask them how they are doing,” she says. “Changes in behavior and emotions can be a sign that youth are contemplating suicide.”
There is a clear connection between certain suicides and bullying by peers, but actual statistics on the overall connection is unknown. For every one child committing suicide from bullying, though, much more bullying goes unnoticed.
Some studies suggest that half of youth are bullied during their school years and one in ten are bullied on a regular basis.
“Youth who bully others may have been victims of abuse or neglect themselves,” Smith says.
There are other factors that lead to bullying others, she adds, such as the bully being isolated from peers him or herself, or exposure to violence in the home or television.
Bullying is a way for youth to deal with these intense emotions. He or she attempts to control and hurt others in order to feel in control, according to Smith.
Taking it back to the basics
New research shows that recess is an important tool in combating bullying in schools and an overall better school environment.
A national initiative called Playworks aims to stop bullying before children reach their teen years at at-risk elementary schools in 23 cities nationwide. Schools in low-income neighborhoods are chosen, and most of the students happen to be African-American and Latino.
The program has prevented and decreased bullying by teaching conflict resolution through games. The teachers note that Playworks reinforces positive behavior and increases focus in class, even right after recess. They also feel that the students are safer during recess and choose less exclusive play.
Enter Mohammed. He is a New Orleans youth who went from craving the center of attention, fighting and getting into trouble, to helping younger children solve a schoolyard brawl with a game of rock, paper, scissors. Things changed once a Playworks coach took him under his wing and gave Mohammed the responsibility of being a junior coach.
“[One of the Playworks coaches] sees these two kids getting into a scuffle,” explains Jill Vialet, CEO and founder of Playworks. “Then, he sees Mohammed making his way over to the group of kids. Mohammed makes his way closer. Then, the coach hears oohs and ahs.”
Concerned that Mohammed had joined the brawl, the coach got closer. Funny enough, “the oohs were because they both kept throwing out paper,” Vialet says. “He found a way to be the center of attention in a positive way.”
However, educators and parents have expressed concern for programs that control free time such as recess.
“We found no negative impact on the extent to which students enjoyed their recess time, or their feelings of ownership,” says Susanne James-Burdumy, associate director of research at Mathematica Policy Research, who, along with Stanford University, conducted an independent evaluation of the benefits of Playworks, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Vialet recalls her times playing in her Washington, D.C. neighborhood.
“It was, [ironically], one of the most structured things I’ve ever been a part of,” she says. “The older kids created structure and the little kids learned.
She adds, “There’s a real priority in [Playworks] for kids to develop their own leadership, giving them the skills. It’s only one grown up on a school ground with hundreds of kids.”
To Smith, it makes sense.
“When schools create a zero tolerance atmosphere for bullying and actively encourage positive behaviors, academic success and respect, bullying seems to be at a minimum,” she says.
Vialet is clear: “If you want to stop bullying, you should be paying attention to recess.
Protecting the wounded
Smith also stresses the importance of caring for bullied children before suicide becomes an option.
“Therapy or counseling targeted at problem-solving skills, building self-esteem and coping with the distress of being bullied can be helpful,” she says.
In more extreme cases, where the child experiences a very strong emotional or psychological reaction to bullying, Smith says medication may be indicated.
However, contrary to the instincts of some parents, “changing schools to avoid bullying typically does not solve the problem for the youth.”
The ABCs of Bullying: Addressing, Blocking and Curbing School Aggression also has scientific data to support its benefits. It’s a program run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a governmental entity.