Suicide is violence directed towards oneself. In Massachusetts, twice as many people die by suicide than homicide. For young people between the ages of 15-19, suicide is the second leading cause of death.

There is an established link between being a victim of teen dating violence and teen suicide. According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, 50% of youth reporting both dating violence and rape also reported attempting suicide, compared to 12.5% of non-abused girls and 5.4% of non-abused boys.

“Bullycide” is the term used when suicide is the result of bullying. In 2005, MAAV invited John Halligan to speak with students in Melrose about the dangers of cyberbullying. His son Ryan tragically killed himself after being relentlessly bullied at school and online by his peers.

Over the years, MAAV’s Student Action Board has raised awareness among their peers on the important topics of teen dating violence, sexual assault, bullying, and suicide. For Teens By Teens is a comprehensive site the SAB developed on teen depression and suicide which includes facts, myths, warning signs, statistics, ways to help and extensive resources for further information and assistance.