CYBERBULLYING AND SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND ATTEMPTS

I have previously blogged about the impact of bullying including an increased suicide risk.  There is evidence now that bullying online or via social media is at least as traumatizing as other forms of bullying. A recent study by Van Geel, et al. reported on their meta-analysis of 34 studies involving over 284,000 children.  They found that being bullied [peer victimization] increased the odds ratio for suicidal ideation to 2.23 and for suicide attempts to 2.55.  In their study, cyberbullying was at least as toxic as other forms of bullying.  The odds ratio number represents the odds of having suicidal ideas or actions and having been bullied.  Thus, of the children with suicidal ideas or actions, they were two and a forth to two and a half times as likely to have been bullied.  This is one way of determining the link between being bullied and developing suicidal ideas or suicidal actions.  

It seems clear that cyberbullying is both traumatic for children and adolescents and significantly increases the risk of suicidal behavior.  It is important for mental health professionals to always ask about bullying, including cyberbullying.  It is also important for parents to be aware of what types of experiences their children and adolescents are having on the internet and social media as well as what they are experiencing at school.  Parents must risk being considered intrusive and controlling since their children or adolescents lives might depend on them being this way.