Argumentative Essay: The Causes Of Teen Suicide

The gunshots rang through the school hallways as I ducked behind my desk. It was the morning of April 20th, 1999, in my hometown of Littleton, Colorado, at the local high school: Columbine. Two of my fellow classmates, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, had brought guns to school and went on a shooting rampage. They killed twelve students and a teacher before taking their own lives. The news reports said they were getting revenge on bullies, but they were both popular kids. Although bullying is one of the main reasons behind teen suicide, there are other reasons like mental illnesses, military ties, and anti-depressants. Many people think that when there is a suicide or school shooting, it is because of bullying. Sometimes this is the case, but not always. It may have to do with a person’s mental health. People assume that the cause is bullying because bullying is usually only heard about when a tragedy happens. Zimmerman says, “Bullying may exacerbate depression, but it shouldn’t be presumed to cause suicide.” One time a teacher overheard a girl calling …show more content…
The Internet was supposed to be a fun way to communicate with other people, but now it is being used for the wrong things. Cyberbullying is worse than traditional bullying because so many more people see it on the Internet. At one point, I had actually been bullied on the Internet. The people had put comments on Ask.fm saying that I was ugly and other degrading comments. Then at a different time someone made a hate page towards me on Instagram. This was basically around the same time so it was hard to just blow it off. I was able to get through with the good comments from my friends and family. Another problem with Cyberbullying is that whatever is being said, can be stored online forever. Banks says that T.V. shows make kids think it is okay to criticize others. Teenagers that are bullied are two and a half times more likely to attempt suicide