It’s normal for teenagers to be moody; teens don’t suffer from “real” depression.

Myth

Depression can affect people at any age or of any race, ethnicity, or economic group.

Fact

Teens who claim to be depressed are weak and just need to pull themselves together. There’s nothing anyone else can do to help.

MythDepression is not a weakness, but a serious health

disorder. Both young and old who are depressed need professional treatment. A trained therapist or counselor can help them learn more positive ways to think about themselves, change behavior, cope with problems, or handle relationships. A physician can prescribe medications to help relieve the symptoms of depression.

Fact

People who talk about suicide won’t really do it.

Myth

Almost everyone who dies by suicide has given some clue or warning. Do not ignore suicide threats.

Fact

If a person is determined to kill themselves, nothing is going to stop them.

Myth

Even the most severely depressed person has mixed feelings about death, wavering until the very last moment between wanting to live and wanting to die. Most suicidal people do not want death; they want the pain to stop. The impulse to end it all, however overpowering, does not last forever.

FactPeople who commit suicide are people who were unwilling to seek help.

MythStudies of suicide victims have shown that more than half had sought medical help within six months before their deaths.

Fact

Talking about suicide may give someone the idea.

Myth

You don’t give a suicidal person morbid ideas by talking about suicide. The opposite is true. Bringing up the subject of suicide and discussing it openly is one for the most helpful things you can do. There is no evidence that screening youth for suicide induces suicidal thinking or behavior.

Fact

Depressed mood (can be sad, down, grouchy, or irritable

Changes in sleeping patterns (too much, too little, or disturbed

Change in weight or appetite (decreased or increased)

Speaking and/or moving with unusual speed or slowness

Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities Withdrawal from family and friends Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or guilt Diminishing ability to think or concentrate,

slowed thinking, or indecisiveness Thoughts of death, suicide, or wishes to be dead

Extreme anxiety, agitation, or enraged behavior

Excessive drug and/ or alcohol use or abuse Neglect of physical health Feelings of hopelessness or desperation

Once a student has disclosed the need for help (whether directly, or indirectly through someone else, or even in a written assignment)- Do Not leave the student alone.

Listen to what the student has to say, observe his/her demeanor, and avoid making the student feel embarrassed or guilty.

Offer words of encouragement, but do not promise confidentiality. Acting to prevent a potential suicide always overrides the need to honor confidentiality between that individual and the student.

Advise the student that you are going with him/her to the office, or have someone from the office come to get them. We will make sure that you will get the help you need to deal with these feelings.

The appropriate person will immediately contact the student’s parents/guardian and work with them to make whatever treatment referral is necessary.

Facts & Myths About Bullying

Bullying happens when someone is subjected to negative actions from one or more people and has a hard time defending him or herself. •The mistreatment must be intentional•The mistreatment must be physically or

psychologically hurtful.•The mistreatment is threatening. The individual

fears harm.•The mistreatment must occur more than once.•There must be a power imbalance.

What does bullying look like?

Physical Bullying•Hitting, slapping, elbowing, shouldering•Shoving in a hurtful or embarrassing way•Kicking•Taking, stealing, damaging or defacing belongings or other property•Restraining•Pinching•Flushing someone’s head in the toilet•Cramming someone into his or her locker•Attacking with spit wads or food

Verbal Bullying•Name-calling•Insulting remarks and put-downs•Repeated teasing•Racist remarks or other harassment•Threats and intimidation•Whispering behind someone’s back

Indirect Bullying BehaviorsSocial/Relational

•Destroying and manipulating relationships (turning your best friend against you)•Destroying status within a peer group•Destroying reputations•Humiliation and embarrassment•Intimidation•Gossiping, spreading nasty and malicious rumors and lies about someone •Hurtful graffiti•Excluding someone from a group (social rejection or isolation)•Stealing boyfriends or girlfriends to hurt someone•Negative body language (facial expressions, turning your back to someone)•Threatening gestures, taunting, pestering, insulting remarks and gestures•Glares and dirty looks, nasty jokes, notes passed around, anonymous notes•Hate petitions (promising to hate someone)

Cyber Bullying is when bullies use the Internet, mobile phones or other electronic devices. It can include:

•Sending mean text, e-mail, or instant messages

•Posting damaging pictures or hurtful messages in blogs or on Web sites

•Spreading rumors or lies about someone, sometimes using a fake identity

When and Where Does Bullying Usually Occur?

It occurs mainly in hidden areas and areas lacking adult supervision: halls, stairwells, the playground, areas where students take brief breaks, between buildings, restrooms, locker rooms, the cafeteria, on buses, and parking lots; it occurs when students are walking to and from school, but also in classrooms where teachers and students accept bullying or are indifferent to it.

What types of Students are most likely to be Victims of Bullying?

•Quiet cautious, sensitive, easily moved to tears•Insecure and have little self-confidence•Physically weaker than classmates•Do not like to fight•Few or no friends•Afraid of getting hurt or hurting themselves•Find it easier to associate with adults than peers•Clumsy, immature, awkward•Have learning problems

What are the Warning Signs that a Child is Being Bullied?

•Sudden decrease in school attendance or skipping certain classes•Decline in quality of academic performance•Difficulty concentrating in class and easily distracted•Uses victim body language: hunched shoulders, head down, will not look people in the eye•Prefers the company of adults•Frequent illness or fake illness•Nightmares and insomnia•Frequently asks for extra money•Possessions are lost without an explanation•Talks about dropping out of school

Is bullying a problem in our schools?

How Safe is your School Survey

Video--Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case that Made History

Purpose: Why did we watch this video?

Every child deserves to be physically and emotionally safe in school.

How can we equip students with a bully-proof vest?

How can you support students who are being bullied?

Almost 25 percent of the more than 2300 girls involved in a recent survey felt they did not know three adults they could go to for support if they were bullied.

Will you be one of those three adults that kids can come to when they need help?

Get to know students. Learn their names. Learn what motivates them. Find out about their interests. What is their learning style? Communicate your concern and respect. Understand their abilities and challenges

Teachers and administrators need to be aware that although bullying generally happens in areas such as the bathroom, playground, crowded hallways, and school buses as well as via cell phones and computers (where supervision is limited or absent), it must be taken seriously. Teachers and administrators should emphasize that telling is not tattling. If a teacher observes bullying in a classroom, he/she needs to immediately intervene to stop it, record the incident and inform the appropriate school administrators so the incident can be investigated. Having a joint meeting with the bullied student and the student who is bullying is not recommended—it is embarrassing and very intimidating for the student that is being bullied.

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/bullying.aspx