ONE of the scariest “solutions” bullying victims use to end their suffering is committing suicide.
Earlier this month, 20-year-old student Teh Wen Chun wrote a chilling “Cremate my body and release the ashes into the sea. No need tombstone and funeral. Goodbye” on his Facebook timeline before carrying out the deadly act.
According to news reports, Teh’s father, Beng Hock, 49, believes that his son was a victim of cyber-bullying.
There is no doubt that bullying causes a lot of emotional distress.
Befrienders Kuala Lumpur publicity director Ardy Ayadali says teenagers feeling overwhelmed with despair sometimes resort to ending their lives.
“Sometimes it’s not just one single issue, but a whole bunch of them,” he says, adding that abuse, loss of a loved one, rejection, hurt, being unloved, victimisation, and mental illness can also drive one to end their lives.
“Most people who attempted or committed suicide did so because they wanted to end the emotional pain that they are feeling.
“The same goes for teenagers, there are times when the situation feels so hopeless and helpless for them, and they can’t think of any other way but death to get out of the situation,” he adds.
Ayadali says that in 2016, 17% of those who reached out to Befrienders were teenagers though not all cases were related to bullying.
He adds that Befrienders also receives many emails, especially from teenagers, talking about self-harm.
“They do this as a coping mechanism, as the physical pain that they feel when they harm themselves - most common is by cutting their flesh or hitting their fist against the wall - can numb the emotional pain that they feel inside.
He adds that these habits can also increase suicidal risk, as they tend to cut deeper or hit harder as the pain intensifies.
“It can also be an addiction to them, and like any other addictions, can be very hard to stop.
“You might feel like you are all alone and isolated, and no one cares for you, but there are others who do, and being supported by them can help to reduce the risk of suicide,” he adds.
He advised anyone facing bullying issues, feeling suicidal or harbouring self-harm tendencies to call the Befrienders hotline at 03-7956 8145, 03-7956 8144 or log on to www.befrienders.org.my.
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