In class we learned that major depression is a risk factor for suicide. Yesterday in the Los Angeles Times I read a sad story about a 13 year old girl from Dardenne Prairie, MO. named Megan Meier who suffered from major depression and committed suicide after being urged to do so by an online "cyberbully".
Megan had an estranged friend, and the mother of this friend is named Lori Drew. Lori pretended to be a boy named Josh Evans on the social network internet site MySpace and initiated an online friendship with Megan. Lori's daughter and also a coworker knew about the fake MySpace relationship with Megan. After several weeks, "Josh" broke off the friendship with Megan and wrote her, "The world would be a better off place without you." That same evening while her parents were cooking dinner downstairs, Megan hung herself in her closet.
Answer one or more of the following questions:
1. What do you think about "cyberbullies" on social network sites like MySpace and Facebook?
2. What do you think about people who impersonate others on the internet?
3. What are some warning signs that someone is at risk for committing suicide?
4. What psychological diagnosis would you give Lori Drew,the mother who cruelly manipulated the emotions of young Megan Meier?
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27 comments:
I think that cyberbullies should be ashamed of themselves becuase they have nothing better to do than to sit around bulling kids online. I think that people who impersonate others should think about what the consicences will be before they say or do something stupid, but they are not the only ones to be blamed I think everyone knows that myspace is dangerous but they still go on they should be smart and not have a myspace and if they cant they shouldnt talk to strangers because most of the cases are with strangers. A major sign of suside is depression, people who are depressed feel that they have nothing to live for and that their better off dead, but they don't think that maybe it will change and it won't always be this way. I think that Lori is crazy and the only thing i can say to her is that she should be in a mental institute or at least she should go get help.It's not really normal for someone of her age to be a bully and to tell poeple to kill themselves.
Anait, your advice to be wary of strangers on MySpace seems like good advice to me. I agree with everything you wrote, especially that it is abnormal for the mother to be a bully towards someone else, especially a young teenage girl. When I first read the article I had to reread it a few times because I was shocked that a mother would act this way. This is strange behavior, indeed. I want to let all of you know that for questions 3 and 4, feel free to use your text book to help you. Also, in diagnosing the mother in this case, you should know that according to the article in the Los Angeles Times, she has expressed no remorse for her actions. This information may help you in determining her diagnosis. By the way, do you like the photos I posted?
I think a major sign for suicide is lonelyness and depression. On the news I heard that 1/4th of Americans are lonely. Many people suffer from lonelyness and depression. When people have problems it gets a lot worse when no one helps them. Lots of people have no one to talk to about their problems and feel that there is no hope. They feel that no one understands them. Also these kind of people don't interact with their family that much. So when people are lonely and depressed a lot of them feel that death is a way to escape their problems. If they had people to talk to or good family member or even a good friend the would have more hope and would be less likely to commit suicide.
“Cyber bullies” ?? They’re punks. I mean honestly, who spends their time on line oppressing others? They must really have nothing important to do. I never really found a point to making friends with people you have never met; what’s the point? Cyber sites are full of millions of weirdoes; usually its people who can’t (for some apparent and extremely legible reason) befriend others in the real world. In other words, Psychos!!
FYI, this is coming from someone who doesn’t even have a MySpace and has no clue whatsoever as to what Facebook is. See I’m the type of person who only uses the internet for: research; shopping and of course MUSIC! … and well now this Google blogger site.
As I stated in the last entry, it’s the wackos. Why would anyone ever impersonate something they’re not? It’s very confusing… yet clear. Many times, it is that they don’t have the guts to confront another person. For example, I know a couple of people, male and female, who use the MySpace network to stock their ex-boy/girlfriends. They pose as other people and even use pictures to make it more credible. Others use MySpace to trash talk the new girl/boyfriends. If you think about it, it’s actually hilarious, to a certain extent. I get good laughs when I’m around them as they “cyber”… but I still disagree with this impersonating others to get a message through.
Signs? If and when there are signs they’re usually depressive symptoms. It would be really rare for someone who is satisfied with the way things are going in life to commit suicide. Satisfied doesn’t necessarily mean success; many successful people have committed suicide. Many times, and the greatest sign of all is that they will actually comment on wanting to end their lives. But, unfortunately, these signs are too often ignored.
I agree that cyberbullies and online stalkers are disturbing and dangerous. I also agree that many of those who impersonate others such as the mother in this case apparently have too much free time on their hands. I am deeply disturbed by how malicious the mother acted. Another reason people impersonate others on the internet is because they are sexual predators, and they are trying to deceive and mislead.
I think that cyber bullies are pathetic cowards. They have no lives to be pretending to be hurting others over the internet. Sadly people do many bad things over the internet. I was very shocked when about this event. I really can’t see how a mom would go on myspace pretending to be a boy. It is a big waste of time fooling around on the internet like that. I can't fully blame everything on that mom. Obviously the girl who committed suicide had issues. I think her family should have been more involved. Usually suicidal people feel isolated and don't talk to people much. I'm sure there were clear signs even before this incident. So this incident could have easily been prevented. Also I really can't believe someone would get so upset over a silly online relationship. Ending a relationship should never even come close to this kind of anguish. They couldn't possibly have gone far so it would be very easy to move on.
It is interesting because since social network sites like MySpace and Facebook are relatively new, issues like cyberbullying are also new and we as a society need to figure out how to handle it. It is true Adam that there are clear signs when a person is considering attempting suicide. In addition to depression, what are some of these clear signs? (Feel free to use your book.)
Some warning signs that someone is at risk for committing suicide are, a major change in behavior or personality. A normally cheerful person would probably become quiet and withdrawn, and stop doing things that they once found enjoyable. Also a drastic change in eating habits can signal depression of some degree which could in turn lead to thoughts of suicide. Sometimes an attitude of "I don't care about anything" could signal a lack of caring for life.
Yes, those are all signs. What other signs are there? There are even more specific behaviors.
Can anyone venture a guess as to what diagnosis a psychologist might give the mother? Here is a hint: we talked about it in class, and it is a personality disorder. Another clue is that the article stated that the mother expressed no feelings of remorse for her actions.
I agree with Nathan. A personality change would be a good hint at drastic action that may occur. But I believe that a great way to prevent this is communication. Having an adult that one can be compfortable to talk to is a major plus and the adult can act as a guide. Rather than correct and critize like others do, just someone to listen, a good grown up friend.
In addition to depression, other warning signs that one is contemplating suicide is if he or she says the words "I want to kill myself". If they have a specific plan as to how they would kill themselves, you should be alarmed. If they have the means to kill themselves because they have access to a gun, sleeping pills, etc., then you should be even more alarmed. Another warning sign is that a person planning on killing themselves will begin giving away their prized possessions. Cheyanne is right about communication being very important in helping a suicidal person. If you suspect someone is suicidal, do not allow that person to isolate themselves under any circumstances. You must reach out to the person, and insist that they seek professional help.
I think that cyberbullies are more of an annoyance than an actual problem. People put too much faith into the person they have never seen and never really known. Also I lowly of impersonators. Actual impersonators of real life people are horrible. This is not fair to the impersonated and the person they tricked. But not that many people impersonat others as muc has that they create new identies. This is not a bad thing either. It allows people to express themselves freely and without restraint. (Also it keeps your identity hidden from impersonators.) People create online identities because they are just being normal humans. People always want to be something the can not or is too shy to be a certain was in public.
There are some obvious signs that could lead one to believe that someone is comtemplating suicide. Signs such as depression, lack of appitite, etc are usual indicators that some one is very troubled. But what is more mortifying are the people who dont show any signs whatsoever, or even become more cheerful. This leads to seamingly spontanious suicides.
I believe that Lori would be classified as antisocial and should check into a mental clinic (by force if needed)
What bothered me the most is that 2 other people knew that this was going on and said absolutly nothing to the manipulated girl. One of the other people was her friend. What kinda of friend does not tell others that something is not right and they could get hurt???
Phil, excellent job on the diagnosis of the mother. I think you are right, that she would be diagnosed as antisocial, especially since she has expressed no remorse.
I would guess there is a lot of problems in both families. I can't imagine a fully functional family end up in this kind of situation. How can a mom spend her time pretending to be a teenage boy on Myspace or whatever website. Mothers usually have other things to do whether it be cooking, cleaning, or even watching television. We should always look at things in different perspectives. Suicide usually results in major depression while no one is helping them. For example the guy that did the V Tech Massacre didn't talk much at all to anyone. The fact that the victim killed herself after getting dumped by an online boyfriend disturbs me. So basically I think there is a lot more to it than we know. I agree with Phil that Lori is antisocial. As far as I know Lori seemed to show no remorse or regret. I think a major sign is a sudden change in behaviors. Sometimes when people are stressed about something they try to pretend they are fine, but sometimes they might try to hard and it becomes obvious there is a problem. Usually these behaviors are strange. Also for parents they should be concerned if the child is alone all the time at home, like in their room. I think therapy could have easily solved this problem. In this class I have learned that psychology is powerful. I think that mother should either go to jail or go to a mental center.
Unfortunately, the last thing I read regarding this story was that there is no current law that can be used to charge the mother with a crime, so it looks like she will go unpunished. Our laws have not yet caught up with the new technology and the new issues that come along with the new technology.
I think cyber bullies are just big cowards that do not have the guts to bully people in person but hide behind their computer moniters. They should be ashamed of themselves and we should have laws that protect internet users.
i dont think anyone should impersonate anyone because it can lead to many bad things. its a horrible thing that the mother had a thing to do with her daughter death. the mother needs some major help. the mother should of notice before she impersonated anyone that here daughter had some depression problems.
I agree with Anait. i think that these bullies online have no jobs and are low-lifes, are bored with their life, and probably madde a mistake in their own that they want to mess up another persons. Like anait said dont talk to people you dont know, you might really regret it later if that is if you dont fall into depression and kill yourself.
To start off I would like to say that people should really think twice before they decide to talk to strangers on the internet and give out specific information. I am sure we are all aware of the face that internet is not a place to meet friends or find a soul mate because you never know who is sitting behind that screen. As of today “myspace” is one of the main websites visited by teens. I personally do not think there is nothing wrong with having a myspace because it is a really good way of finding old friends and keeping touch with friends or family, however I do not think people shout talk to strangers on myspace because again it could be someone with a fake identity. A perfect example could be this mother who came out with a fake identity trying to fool a young teenage girl. There must be something really wrong with this woman because it is just not normal for a woman who is a “mother” to go around bullying people on the internet. This woman should be ashamed for herself. I guess she thought making a fake myspace and bullying people should be fun because she must be a total low life who has nothing better to do then spent her time on the internet messing with other people’s lives. I highly suggest everyone not to talk to strangers online or if they do be extra extra careful!!!
Cyberbullies are also people who have psychological problems themselves for reasons we may never know. This is why we should always be catious, where we should all have our super ego at work, because we never know who we truly are confronting. We never know who we really are talking to on-line. Cyberbullies may be going through some sort of depression themsleves whom use 'cyberbullying' others as a source of displacement, also making the other person feel depressed, now having more people with psychological problems.
Welcome to the 21st century. A person can be harrassed from just about anywhere at anytime. I thihere is very sad and shameful. To urge someone to take their life will be something that person will have to live with forever. Some warning signs of someone uneasy that might attempt suicide is sudden change in behavior. It could be the things they say or do . It could also be lack of sleep change in eating habits are all possible factors.
People who impersonate other people on the internet are people who dont have real lives to live themselves. They try to ruin others reputation for their own self fufilment. What I cant understand is Why. How can you take pleasure in causing someone grief and hardship
Some warning signs of people who may be or are at risk of committing suicide would be if that person feels hopeless, in a constant mood disorder like all of a sudden this person is going through major depression, 'confusion about self', 'if comparing themselves negatively with others', and if they have stressful life events. These are the risk factors of suicide, but to help prevent this, it is always good to talk with someone or write down your feelings- it feels like you have been lifted and no longer have a lot going on in your head.
People who impersonate others on the internet i think as people who feel lonely or want revenge in a childish manner. A person who may feel lonely may have a hard time to socialize or feel phsically incapable of doing so, and impersonating someone these people feel is easier to socialize with others. As for revenge, pepole feel like that many times and want to make someone else go through the same humiliation they once felt. But with revenge, it doesn't solve anything but create greater problems , which is why I believe in kharma.
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