I don't know what the difference is, but it was 55 yrs ago when I was the age of that sad young man. I remember some kids getting picked on, most not. Then again, some were not picked on, but that was surprising since there was absolutely no such thing as "special education" back then. There were some kids with us in school that were just "there". I wasn't sure of their diagnoses, but they had no chance of becoming scientists....yet they came along. There were some (all boys, girls had no physical contact back then) boys that you really stayed about 10' from all the time. That was a given. They'd hit you because it was just the thing to do. But, that was OK....you knew that and so did everyone else. You just maintained that 10' barrier.

To my knowledge, of all the hundreds of kids I've met & known thru the school ages, none committed suicide, even up to today. I'm 63 now.

Again, I don't know what the difference is today & I truly don't understand what's causing kids to think that the solution is so terminal. But, back then we didn't have kids coming back to school & blowing away half of the class w/rifles either. Something has changed for the worse.