On average about 4,400 young people commit suicide due to bullying every year. Also 28% of students in grades six through 12 have reported being bullied, mostly occurring during middle school years. How is this OK? If you read my previous article on depression, you know that bullying is one thing I am very passionate about. No one should ever feel so worthless that they have no choice but to end their life, and no one should ever make someone feel that way.

There are three types of bullying: verbal, physical and social. Verbal bullying is the most common; it's when someone verbally says something to someone in order to put them down, such as teasing and name calling. Physical bullying is when someone physically hurts someone in order to bully them. This is not limited to only punching; even spitting is physical bullying. Social bullying occurs when a person or group of people intentionally leaves out someone from a group or spreads rumors about them. Cyber bullying also falls under the social bullying spectrum.

I myself have been the victim of bullying. It occurred mostly during my middle school years. I was teased, picked on, hit, pushed and people spread rumors about me. I also had my social media accounts hacked and messed with, posting things that weren’t true about me. I had dealt with every type of bullying — verbal, physical, and social. However, there are no laws that say bullying is illegal, but I think there should be. The only time someone can get any legal action against them is if they are guilty of harassment. But not all bullies continuously pick on one person. Usually, it is a group of people who take turns bullying in order to avoid the harassment claim. The defense would be, “Well I only did it once,” even if it is all from the same group of people. Bullying causes severe mental issues, for some it is long term. I am still affected by what happened to me in middle school. Bullying in any way should be illegal, there is no question about it.

Until bullying is illegal, how do we prevent it? DO SOMETHING. If you see someone being bullied, step in. When someone is being bullied they may not have the strength to stand up for themselves, they are probably something much worse is going to happen. If you are the victim of bullying, try to stand up for yourself, and if you can’t do that, always travel with friends who will help you. Bullying is completely preventable. Stop the bullies in their tracks and do the right thing! If you or someone you know is struggling with depression due to bullying and they have mentioned suicide, don’t wait! Call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. You are not alone. It is completely confidential and free. Together we can make bullying a bad memory, just do something.