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SPAN Idaho executive director and local psychiatrist on bullying and suicidality

110 views · Published 30 September 2017 · 3:05 · Indexed 25 October 2026

Channel: East Idaho News · 2017 · News & Politics

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IDAHO FALLS -- Local psychiatrist Dr. Matt Larsen agrees that bullying is only one factor in leading someone to be stressed enough to complete suicide. He said getting to that dark place of suicidality is an extensive task for some.

“It’s usually a long process and something they didn’t expect. That’s why you can’t judge because someone is poor or rich – you can’t go by demographic. People at any level can (complete) suicide because compared to what they thought they had or what they expected, they have something else. They wanted life to be one way and it’s not,” Larsen said.

Larsen has worked with many teenagers at the Behavioral Health Center who’ve considered suicide as their only defense against bullying.

Jeni Griffin, the Executive Director of the Suicide Prevention Action Network Idaho, says suicide is not a common response to bullying, although it can be a contributing factor.

Griffin said suicide is such a daunting task that there are always other components that come into play, making it much more complex. Contributing factors in completing suicide could be mental illness, trauma, substance or alcohol abuse, even a history of previous suicide attempts.

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