The tragedy of Phoebe Prince, a victim of cyberbullying, has been a hot topic among parents concerned about internet safety. When six students at Prince’s high school were charged as criminals for encouraging her suicide, it seemed like they were being made examples to prevent future cyberbullying. But more details have come out about Prince herself, and while it doesn’t vindicate her bullies, it does show that it wasn’t just the bullying that led her to hang herself.
According to an article by Emily Bazelon on Slate, “She was deeply troubled long before she ever met the six defendants. And her own behavior made other students understandably upset.” Prince had attempted suicide before and was regularly cutting herself — “on her chest above her bra and all the way down her hips.” She dated two seniors as a freshman. She was taking antidepressants.
These things don’t necessarily add up to the portrait of a suicide, but it reveals that there were other factors in Phoebe Prince’s life — perhaps factors far more serious than Facebook bullying — that led to her death.
What lessons can we learn from Phoebe Prince?
From Slate.
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{ 29 comments }
It's very disturbing how little peole know about the prescription medications that Phoebe was taking, Prozac and Seroquel, Prozac and other SSRI's have been proven to cause suicide, especially in young people. Seroquel is and anti-psychotic widely used to knock out drug and alcohol abuse patients so they can sleep. After given a dose of Seroquel, a person is usually barely able to stay away, confused, and almost in a trancelike state. It has an over 50% rate of creating extreme sleepiness in clinical trials. If Phoebe was prescribed this and was still awake, chances are that she was suffering from extreme mania and akathasia from the Prozac. These 2 drugs probably created quite and impaired mental state in Phoebe and she was no longer able to self direct her behavior. I'm so glad that someone got to the truth before those kids were tried. They should not go to jail to for a murderthat Ely Lilly and AstraZeneca have committed.
In Tort law, one takes one's target as one finds him (it's call the egg shell skull theory). If you act negligently or intentionally wrongfully, you are responsible for the consequences regarless of the condition of the target/victim. Some people are more vulnerable than others and, therefore, are more easily/readily harmed; but, the tortfeasor still caused the damage (negligently or intentionally) and must be responsible/accountable.
I completely agree. Bullying has been happening for millenia. And bullying has led to violence – whether in the form of suicide or lashing out at others (such as the school shooting at Columbine) – for millenia as well. However, in a civilized society, I believe bullying should never be tolerated. We are not animals, and I believe survival of the fittest applies to more than just who can push whom around physically. I believe people who harass others should be held accountable for their actions, regardless of the chemical or emotional state of the victim. Obviously, many people who are not on drugs (prescribed or otherwise) are bullied every day and make it through, but that does not excuse a bully's behavior. Bullies are often people who should and do know better and are in a position of power over the victim.
If that's the case, then with the enourmous body of knowlege that psych meds cause suicide, homicide, and other criminal behavior, even with pre-emption, why can't the manufacturers be held accountable for their fraud and negligence in causing the thousands of deaths each year just like this? For example, Forest Labs was indicted and convicted of fraud and fined by the Securities and Stock Exchange and required to pay restitution the stockholders for lying about the side effects of Lexapro. Once a conviction for fraud is in place, in this instance the victim is the stockholders, does pre-emption preclude each individual consumer from being able to get at least a fraud conviction since pre-emption will not allow suit for wrongful death?
I understand that there were other factors involved, however I do not think it's right to use those to justify bullying and people not holding teenager accountable for their actions. I think we give way too much leniency to teens these days and let them off the hook for acting responsibly just because "they're teenagers."
That is just not right at all. Even if she was troubled before the bullying they just pushed her over the edge. Sad case indeed.
Bullying is still the boot to the butt that pushed this child over the edge.
Medicines (especially anti-depressants) mess with your brain's chemicals, resulting in a change of an outlook on a situation and reaction. So many people overlook how crazy pills can make you!
Teens and anti-depressants have to many side effects. But the bullying was just the last straw as far as she was concerned.
You don't need to be online. You can live without it. Spread the word
Phoebe's pre-existing mental state legally does not lessen the NON-HOMICIDE charges of CRIMINAL HARASSMENT, STALKING (for just Flannery Mullins & Sharon Chanon Velasquez), ASSAULT (for just Ashley Longe) & STAT. RAPE (for Sean Mulveyhill, Austin Renaud) vs. the 6 accused.
That the defendants knew of Phoebe's "troubled" state makes their harassment, stalking, assault MORE cruel — not the "normal girl drama" that Emily Bazelon seems to find acceptable.
The use of Phoebe's mental illness to (wink wink) "pardon" the harassment, etc, is CHEAP…and legally shoddy.
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Publishing Ph's PRIVATE medical info – PRE-trial – is UNETHICAL.
WHAT IF THE NEW HAVEN REGISTER REPORTED THE PRIVATE INFO OF THE WRITER'S SONS if they rec'ed/inflicted harassment, stalking, threats, assault….even if their school discipline system screwed up?
This story sounds like it's saying the bullies aren't 'that bad' cause she was already a messed up little girl. The truth is, we weren't there for her, and she took her own life. We as in her family, friends, neighbors, school, community, online public, fellow parents. It's a travesty and a shame. And I'm pretty sure that punching someone when they're down still isn't the right thing to do, now is it?
Here's the full story – http://alturl.com/cqr24
Terribly sad and makes me worry for when my own girls get to that age. Try to be vigilant.
I wonder what her communication and closeness was like with her family.
I dont want my child to have access to the internet (unless for homework purposes) thats just my opinion.
I feel the bullying was just one more bad thing in her short life filled with bad things. Unfortunately, it pushed her over the edge.
So sad! Unfortunately the media wouldn’t have such a controversial story to lead with had these details been reported earlier. The stories that I saw covering it were very hard on the “bullies” and portrayed Phoebe as a very passive victim. While I don’t encourage bullying in any form, I do think that perhaps some of her questionable activities might have led to the teasing. Why were her parents not doing more to help her when they had the chance?
Amber, I think you hit upon an important point …..what things were the parents aware of or should have been aware of. Parents need to be the front line in knowing what is going on with their children and helping them accordingly. I hate bullying in any form and parents and teachers may be the ones that need to be especially aware of their children/students and be a place where a person who is bullied can feel comfortable going to them to seek help.
Serdecznie pozdrawiam.Lucyna
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