February is teen suicide prevention month and Warrant Officer Riaan Riekert of Norwood Police Station said one of the major causes of suicide among the youth is bullying.
Riekert said teen suicide was becoming more common every year in South Africa. Only car accidents and homicides kill more young people between the ages of 15 and 24. In South Africa, nine percent of all teen deaths are caused by suicide.
He added that there were various reasons which led to teenagers being bullied. “Bullies will attack teenagers from the neighbourhood or school because they are jealous,” he said.
“Bullies like to impress and they are jealous of someone’s skills and they will poke fun at someone else to get some laughs.
“Boys and girls, especially boys, want to be part of a social group, the bully is excluded from social groups and then they bully to get a place in a social group of their own.”
According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, there is a major link between depression and suicide. Most of the time teen depression is a passing mood, and most people at some stage of their lives feel sadness, loneliness and grief.
Riekert, who is also acting head of the Crime Information Management and Analyst Centre at the police station has given tips for teenagers on how to deal with bullies:
- Do some of your own investigation, get to know the bullies’ routes and avoid them.
- Use different routes and time schedules every day.
- Try not to show any emotion, no matter how much it hurts.
- Do not insult the bully.
- Report the matter to a teacher, parents and police.
Details: Warrant Officer Riaan Riekert 076 070 2048.
