Recent Suicide in NW Iowa Called a "Bullycide"

  If you have been following the news today and yesterday, or even following your social network feed, you likely have come across the story of Kenneth Weishuhn, a 14-year old boy at South O'Brien High School that committed suicide over the weekend. This was after relentless harassment, attacks, and cyber and phone threats over the past two week after the teen came out as gay. Family and friends claim "bullying" led him to commit suicide, leading this incident to be called a "bullycide" (suicide after being bullied repeatedly). Sadly, this event shows the terrible effects that bullying, harassment, and cyberbullying can play. Bullying has been around forever, but people my age and older could get away from bullying be simply going home after school each day. In Kenneth's case, like many students today, he went home and got phone calls, texts, and even found Facebook posts and group pages directed at him and harassing him. If teens want to truly live in today's world, they have very few options to avoid cyberbullying and bullying could be a 24/7 event. I have worked with a student before who was getting mean and threatening text messages at 4 a.m. in the morning on a weekday! But with all the talk about bullying in this case, I do want to remind people that suicide is never the answer. The choice to choose suicide is a selfish act that harms just as many loved ones as the bullying that may have started it all. Bottom line in a case like this is that many students made horrible decisions to humiliate and harm another student and that student felt he had no other choice but the ultimate worst choice: suicide. Hopefully the good that can come from this is for everyone to learn what they could have done instead. Realize that words can hurt immensely. Realize that supports are out there for people who are suffering. And realize that we all have to be alert for both people who are harming others AND people who are showing signs that they are depressed, angry, or hopeless. Kenneth's life can not be brought back, but the lessons from this event could help save someone else's life.

To learn more about this story, click on a few of these links. The Sioux City Journal article is really good and really helped me understand all the parts of the situation.

Channel 13's short article plus video.

Sioux City Journal article...really good explanation of the school's role, family's role, and the details of what could have been done and what was done.