Editorial: Bullying and Suicide Risk: Restructuring Prevention, Identification, and Treatment to Address a Global Mental Health Crisis

Abstract

Bullying is a global phenomenon with significant mental health consequences. Although bullying prevention programs have garnered attention over the last several years, the results of these programs have been mixed, at best. As Koyanagi et al.¹ highlight in this issue of the Journal, the consequences of bullying can be dire, particularly when they occur during a critical developmental period. Using the Global School-based Student Health Survey, this article reports on a sample of more than 130,000 youths aged 12 to 15 years sampled in a structured manner across 48 countries with a range of geographic representation and some socioeconomic diversity. The results of this study find that across 47 of 48 countries, children and adolescents have an average 3-fold greater risk of suicide attempt when faced with bullying. In addition, there was a dose-dependent impact of the number of days bullied to odds of suicide attempt. In recent years, rates of suicide have been steadily increasing around the globe, with suicide being the second leading cause of death among 15- to-29-year-olds in 2016.² Koyanagi et al.'s timely article not only illustrates that suicide is a growing global health problem but also emphasizes the need to re-evaluate our existing strategies using a multisystemic approach to screening, prevention, and treating bullied youths.