Depression, Not Bullying, Drives Suicides

Hillary Clinton gave a speech about it. So did Barack Obama. It was front page news in USA Today. The subject? Bullying. But maybe everybody is wrong:

While bullying may push a despairing youth over the edge, and while gay youths may be especially vulnerable, most who kill themselves have something else in common. They are depressed or have another mental illness.

Full article on depression and suicide among teens.

Comments (6)

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  1. Bruce says:

    Who are you trying to kid? Obama and Hillary are vying for the gay vote. I think they are getting ready to run against each other.

  2. Nancy says:

    I agree that the politicians are trawling for votes. But bullying is still a problem that needs to be addressed.

  3. Devon Herrick says:

    I don’t believe any external activity could compel a teenager to commit suicide if they weren’t already suffering from a mental condition.

  4. Vicki says:

    The parental concern about bullying is just an excuse for politicians to pander. There is not a chance in the world that Hillary or Obama is going to do anything about it.

  5. Virginia says:

    Did you guys listen to the speech by the fort worth guy? He was talking about how it gets better after you graduate. It was really moving.

    I agree on the vote thing, but I do think bullying is a problem. I was not bulliedin high school, but it was still the worst 4 years of my life. I cannot imagine the pain of being picked on and not being able to remove oneself from the situation.

  6. Jen says:

    The fact that not everything is known about depression, what leads to depression, etc. should not dismiss bullying as a factor that may lead to suicide. If teens with depression weren’t bullied, would they have instead sought help? We can’t know this. Bullying is still a problem that needs to be dealt with, even if we can’t eradicate it.