The numbers are small but, yes, 7-year-olds are capable of killing themselves and do.
Awareness of suicide in elementary children is very low. These children easily slip below the radar of adults. And when the actions of a small child result in death, they are often labeled an accident. The mind doesn't want to even entertain the slight possibility that a 6-year-old would want to die.
Childhood Suicide Statistics
Only 4 children out of 500,000 commit suicide annually under the age of 12. This information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While this number seems very small and not of great concern, this number has doubled since 1979. It is unknown whether the numbers have actually doubled or if we are more aware of these deaths as being suicide and report them as such. [Christopher Beam, Slate Magazine, October 3, 2008]
Teenage Suicide
Suicide is thought to occur more often in children older than the age of 12 and it does. Children ages 10-14 have a suicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000. Older adolescents ages 15-19 commit suicide at a rate of 7.67 per 100,000. [Christopher Beam, Slate Magazine, October 3, 2008]
And, the suicide rate among teenagers is growing. While the reasons are unclear, parents are more reluctant to place their child on antidepressants with the new warnings that the medications may increase the chance for committing suicide. Many doctors disagree with this statement. Some in the medical field have commented that it is not the medication that increases the rate of suicide. It could be that the antidepressants actually decrease the effects of depression and the child now has the strength to commit the act.
Parental Supervision
Teenagers have more freedom and are left alone more due to maturity factors. Elementary children have more supervision from older siblings and parents. Parents would leave a 15-year-old at home for 3-4 hours but would not likely leave an 8-year-old for the same length of time. How many parents have intervened in an attempted suicide in a small child? That data is not available.
Suicide Stigma
No parent wants to live with the suicide label in her home. Police and doctors tend to label many suicides as "accidents" to spare the family the dark cloud that accompanies a suicide. Society is quick to blame parents and teachers when a suicide is not prevented. Someone should have done something. Someone should have seen this coming. The facts are that the signs can be very subtle. Who hasn't had a grumpy 10-year-old or a child that feels blue after grandma died? It is difficult to discern what is normal from what is not. And, the unfortunate reality is that if someone truly wants to end their life, you can not supervise them every minute to prevent it.
Reasons For Suicide
Teenagers are more likely to die when they have ADHD (Megan Meier), depression or a mood disorder. They are also at risk if
An elementary student is more likely to die from impulsivity when something is not going his way and likely to choose a method that goes against what parents have told him. Children are told not to run out into the street without looking so they choose to run out in front of a car. They're told don't ride your bike on a busy street so they pull out in heavy traffic. Children are told to stay away from windows so they jump out of a four story window.
Teenagers will sometimes select driving into a concrete bridge at 120 m.p.h. and law enforcement labels this an accident to spare the family. Because so many suicides look like accidents and society accepts accidents better than suicide, many go unreported.
Mental Health Options Are Few
Most children to not have access to a child psychiatrist. Rural areas of the country are exceptionally deficient in providing mental health services to children. Even in towns of 10,000 or 15,000 residents, appointments may be 3-6 months out for services. While counseling may be available, this is not the same as being evaluated by a child psychiatrist that can prescribe medication or hospitalize a child. Therefore, many children do not receive the services they need when they need them.
What about a family doctor? Studies have been done showing that general practitioners miss childhood depression at a rate of 80-90%.
Childhood suicide does exist and it is increasing. Teenage suicide is also increasing. Unfortunately, this is a topic many do not want to talk about.
The copyright of the article Suicide Among Young Children in Student Health Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Suicide Among Young Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
This is frightening. Most parents don't even have this concern until their
children reach high school. You've raised my awareness.
Nov 10, 2008 11:58 AM
Guest :
It is so true what you said about suicide. My nephew committed suicide
last year. His father has a PhD in Psychology and he was under a
psychiatrist's care. He was on medication, getting better, and just
received a large college scholarship. He had friends, caring parents, good
grades, a job, and a big future. His mother did not work and looked in on
him continuously. He battled this for 10 years until the age of 19. The
police offered to label it as an accident of suffocation after they
investigated and found there was no foul play but the father didn't want a
cover up. He wanted other parents to be aware that it could happen to
their family, too. Even if you do everything right, there are no
guarantees.
Nov 11, 2008 12:29 PM
Guest :
Nobody believes this stuff. Kids aren't old enough to decide suicide.
Nov 17, 2008 11:59 AM
Guest :
My daughter was examined several times a year by our family doctor and he
gave her medicine for stomach pains, sleep disorder, etc. The school
counselor called and suspected that Emma was suffering from depression.
She was correct. Our doctor missed all the signs. He was looking for
physical, not emotional.
Nov 28, 2008 10:11 AM
Guest :
I am 38 now and have ADD. I recently went through a very bad time in my
life. Just spent two weeks in a clinic with great support from therapists.
I had to write my life story as part of the therapy. Dysfunctional family,
perpetually drunk father etc. I recalled one afternoon at the age of 5 or 6
after receiving a severe hiding from my mother, that I wanted to die. I
imagined getting a knife in the kitchen and killing myself. I really did
not want to live anymore. Today I am unable and not willing to want to live
that pain and dispair again. Yes it is possible and parents should not
believe that young minds incapable of such actions. I know. I have been
there and it is not a place any kid should be. But it happens and will be
so.
Jan 10, 2009 7:59 PM
Guest :
My son at the age of 3 told us that he did not want to be here - that where
he came from up there was nice, but down here people were mean. Between the
ages of 3 and 6 he attempted to kill himself by slashing his wrists and
burning himself. He was tested gifted, had no signs of mental illness
including depression, etc.according to AMA mental health professionals.
Finally at the age of 22 years, he was successful in his terms by fatally
shooting himself. In his suicide note he wrote that his earliest memories
were of wanting to die.
Your inane number plus number equals
something below is disturbing - for anyone intelligent and with creativity,
it equals whatever you want it to be! At the time of his death he had
a great job, was very handsome (considered professional modeling), had
married parents who had never divorced, was accepted into any college he
applied to, had lots of friends and active sex life, etc. He seemed to
defy all the criteria. There are still many mysteries.
Feb 7, 2009 10:50 PM
Guest :
i attepmted. & im 12.
Feb 17, 2009 11:25 PM
Guest :
I thought of it for the first time when I was 6. It is possible.
Feb 17, 2009 11:26 PM
Guest :
I thought of it for the first time when I was 6. It is possible.
Feb 20, 2009 9:13 PM
Guest :
Thank you for this. My 8 year old is in a psychiatric hospital right now
resulting from her suicide attempt this morning. Please keep raising
awareness.
Mar 27, 2009 8:58 PM
Guest :
Im so devastated to find all this out. My 7 year old son has threated to
kill him self and has attempted stabbing himself already. He is doing
horrible in school and is always being bullied. I dont know what to do! I
dont want my son ending up like this.
Apr 21, 2009 8:31 PM
Guest :
This all is very frightening to me. These are young children we are
talking about. My 9 yr old has been having sucidial thoughts and tonight
has told me that he thought about cutting himself until he bleeds to death.
He said the only reason he has not done it is because he will go to hell
for killing himself. So he says he wishes for the guy off of the movie
Scream to come kill him in the middle of the night because then he wouldn't
go to hell. This is a HORRIABLE feeling. I don't know how to make this
better. Tomorrow we are going to a doctor. I feel so guilty, how could i
have let my child get to the point he feels this way. How was i so blind
and why didn't i reconize any early warning signs of this depression? what
are the signs for a young child of this age.
May 6, 2009 10:48 AM
Guest :
the first time i considered it i was 9, the first time i actually held a
bottle of pills in my hand with intent i was 10. i believe "suicidal
ideation" to be a separate, distinct category of depression that is
biological and REAL. do NOT doubt that kids can and do kill themselves.
May 6, 2009 4:33 PM
Guest :
When I was ten years old, I was always bullied or disliked by my peers. I
never understood why, and I never was mean to them, until years later, in
spite. I wanted to die, I told them I wanted to die, and sometimes told
them I hated them. I even would tell them how I planned to die, and I did
attempt it. One kid did say something to the teacher about it, but she
wasn't frazzled by it.
Even though I didn't succeed (and have
tried a few times afterward through the years), I just would like to point
out to disbelivers, that it is possible for a child to kill him or herself,
or at least until they have a basic idea what death is.
Jun 2, 2009 5:57 AM
Guest :
My daughter has from the age of 4, on and off gone into states of despair.
"why am I alive" "i want to be dead" "whats the
point" etc etc. She is bright, intellegent, and no stress as far as I
can see. I am always there for her and we talk about everything. It scares
me no end when she is like this... I don't know what to do. I don't want
to mention suicide because honestly I don't think thats what's she is on
about it. It's more... 'what's the meaning of life" She thinks too
much. But its upsetting because you can't help but think she is sucidal.
She knows it upsets me too, so she doesn't mention it much but reckons she
thinks about it every night!
Jun 9, 2009 10:08 PM
Guest :
MEANING OF LIFE: GIVE LIFE MEANING, WE ARE THE LIFE. AND FOR
THOSE TIMES WHEN I DO NOT FEEL AS THOUGH I HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE I: LET LIFE HAVE MEANING. JUST BECAUSE I CAN NOT USE MY HUMAN SENSES
AND SAY "AHAH, THERE IT IS!", DOES NOT MEAN THAT ONE IS
NOT THERE.
Jun 9, 2009 10:10 PM
Guest :
IF SPIRITS ARE BOTHERING YOU:
The life you have has been given
to your spirit. No other.
You are the stongest spirit in regard
to your life.
If spirits frighten you, get angry at their
arrogance, and chase them. They will run.
You may catch some
that are a part of you challenging yourself.
Spirits are in
essence... emotions. Guide em and ride em.
Use human intellect
to see ahead and guide and ride safely.
Any voices inside my
head are mine.
They are my interpretation of an emotion.
They are usually just trying to fix something.
Lots
broken in this world.
It can be said that there are three things
that can not be created or destroyed. Matter, energy, and spirit.
Therefore, my spirit can never be broken.
I have been given
this life to guide and ride while I can.
Jun 9, 2009 10:12 PM
Guest :
THREE CORE HUMAN IMPULSES:
Existence:
-Two types: -Individual -Human Race
-Without
which we no longer have opportunity to have meaning here.
Procreation:
-Children = Human Race continues to
exist.
-Religion = Individual human spirit continues to
exist.
Growth:
-That which all life
attemps to do.
Fulfill these three things to feel
fulfilled.
Humans are the greatest
sentients known to exist by humans at this time. Possibly the only
sentients available to maintain sentients within this reality.
Jun 16, 2009 8:14 AM
Guest :
I am at the age of 14 and have went through many suicidal stages even at a
very young age I think that if anyone should study this it is children
because they go through the experience and in adolecent stages you are
usually more attuned to your emotions and the emotions of others
Jun 16, 2009 11:03 AM
Guest :
I have always wondered how many young children are affected by suicide. My
son's first suicide attempt was at age 5. He tried to sufficate himself. I
physically fought with him that morning for almost an hour to save his
life. I will never forget the pleading, "I want to die Mommy, I want
to die." He was diagnosed that day with bi-polar disorder. He had
already been diagnosed with depression and PTSD from witnissing his
father's mulitple attempts on my life. The rural issue for treatment is
real. Even though we live 36 miles from Gainesville FL, where the
Univeristy of Florida' Teaching Hospital is located, when my pediatrican
called that morning for hospitalization, they told us my son's issues were
too severe for them to treat. We located the only pediatric psychiatrist in
North Florida. We had to drive over 100 miles for treatment. We continued
to do that for over 10 years every month.
Jun 29, 2009 1:16 PM
Guest :
i made multiple suicide attempts from about 6 years old. I used to try and
strangle myself, i tried jumping off buildings, I tried hanging myself. I
have no idea how many times i tried to die from 6 to 9 but it was a lot. I
tried to commit suicide because the pain that i was suffering the abuse the
everyone meted out to me was to much to take. My childhood was like living
in a gulag and like other people in political reeducation camps, suicide is
often a sensible option. By the time I was 9 i was too damaged to care.
People forget that to commit suicide you have to care about yourself enough
to die, I fell below that point around 10 years old and i slowly became
more broken and damaged, slowly all my feeling and awareness shut down I
could feel pain or fear and occasionally i would feel anger and just
numbness, I was utterly divorced from reality of the concentration camp
like existence that I was living in, there was no escape as everytime I
told people the truth everybody said i was lying. you probably say i'm
lying now when i tell you why I was suffering. I was suffering because I
knew i was girl...
Jul 3, 2009 3:25 AM
Guest :
People are born with the ability to love other people. Love feels only
love. Fear feels only fear. Love can overcome fear. One can hold still and
feel either. Please choose wisely. Give a heart a chance.
Jul 9, 2009 9:22 AM
Guest :
Children have their own minds, if they are going to kill themselves they
will do it, and without warning. Children are also from the reports I have
seen highly efficient in ending their own lives. If parents want to stop
children killing themselves then they have to provide an environment that
makes children happy. No drugs, therapy or other controlling device is
going to stop an unhappy child ending their lives.
Aug 22, 2009 7:57 AM
Guest :
I had no clue that this could even be a possibility. I have 7 year old son
who is very intelligent makes friends easily and within the last three
weeks started coming to us saying he wants to stab himself. After hearing
this we took him to a pediatric psychologist and he is now on an
antidepressant and going to start Cognitive Therapy to start retraining his
brain to be more positive and not take this to heart so much. He is a very
sensitive child. BELIEVE YOUR CHILD OF ANY AGE ABOUT SUICIDE, THEY VERY
WELL MIGHT DO IT AND THEN HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?
Sep 9, 2009 6:08 PM
Guest :
when I was a child I was being raised by my mentally unstable grandmother
because my mother was busy trying to earn money. I later learned when I was
20 that she was taking various antidepressants and tranquilizers since the
mid-60s. Whenever I brough back a spelling test that was under a 85 she
would scream at me for hours , tell me I disgusted her and called me words
that people usually try to never say in front of children. I was also
bullied at school and only a few other girls would play with me if there
was no one else around. One day when I was six got a test that was 79 and
when everyone left the house to go shopping, I felt I couldnt take one more
time and took a knife from the kitchen and held it up to my throat. I
couldnt go through it because I was afraid I would do it wrong and it would
hurt. The same thing happened when I 8 for the same reason, that time I put
my head through a broken window [ if you opened it up it would drop back
down] and let it drop on my neck thinking it cut off my head. My whole life
people told me I was normal and all my problems could be fixed if I just
tried being more friendly and outgoing. When I was 20 I finally had a
nervous breakdown and got appropraite treatment. To this day whenever I
hear any kind of rythmatic banging or tapping my mind re-arranges it into a
glossolalia of my grandmother screaming.
I
am writing this so that people will always remember THAT CHILDREN ARE NOT
ADULTS. You cannot try a child like an adult. You tell a 14 year they are a
disgusting pig and that their mother is working every day till 11 just to
support them and they will go get their nose peirced. You tell this to a
child and they will try to slit their throat. And continue to try,
metaphorically, for many years into their life.
Oct 15, 2009 3:33 AM
Guest :
I've had suicidal thoughts at a very young age too. I wasn't even depressed
at the time though. I was just extremely mad and sad. When kids at school
would be mean and tell me to "drop dead" or something, I would be
like, "what if I do?" When my dad would be verbally abusive, I
just thought, maybe if I died, they'd realize how much they hurt me. I used
to fantasize about being on my death bed and having the bullies apologize
and me dying without forgiving them. I went as far as jumping off a balcony
and breaking my leg. So in most cases, the suicidal child is actually
depressed or mentally ill. But in some cases it's possible, I think, that
the child just doesn't really know the depth of death, and think it a nice
relief from their problems.
