Teen suicide prompted by sexual assault and social media?

San Francisco

A 15-year old girl committed suicide a week after passing out drunk at a party.  Three boys allegedly stripped her, sexually assaulted her, and drew lewd pictures on her private parts.  What's more, they took pictures and posted them on social media.

The girl's family had filed suit against the three boys, the parents that owned the house in which the party was held, and recently added a female classmate of the victim, who was in the room and encouraged the boys.

Eight days after the alleged assault, the victim called her mom to take her home from school.  She hung herself at home.

In my upcoming book Staying Alive: How to act fast and survive deadly encounters, a skill called "pattern-matching and recognition" is described, and warning signs of violence are described in detail.

As parents, these skills are important in that we might see signs of impending violence by our children, especially if the violence will be directed at themselves.  We think that, as parents, we will know if our children are contemplating suicide.  But sometimes that familiarity will blind us; we recognize the signs, but don't recognize their significance.

Coming out next May, Staying Alive is a must read for anyone who wants to survive deadly encounters.

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