***TRIGGER WARNING***

This piece discusses suicide and suicidal ideation and actions by children, and some people might find it disturbing. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please, contact your physician, go to your local ER, or call the suicide prevention hotline in your country. For the United States, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Both services provide free, confidential support 24/7. You can also dial 911 in the U.S. for immediate help.

This piece will concentrate on how suicidality impacts school-aged children to honor suicide awareness month.

September is suicide awareness month, an annual campaign in the United States to engage and inform everyone about suicide prevention and the warning signs of suicide. Openly speaking about suicide would not be complete without addressing the exceedingly difficult subject of suicidality and children.

The Statistics Do Not Lie

Although many people believe that children have not the maturity to act on suicidal thoughts, research shows that by age nine, many children understand death and suicide (Tishler, 2007; Shirley, 2020). It doesn’t matter whether or not children understand the consequences of their actions; kids consider death as an option to end their emotional pain, not fully understanding the finality of their actions (Tishler, 2007).

Although suicide rates among young children are not fully understood because their stats are not fully researched, the suicide rate among young people aged 10 to 24 has increased significantly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dying by suicide among young people increased from 2007 to 2018 by 42% in the United States. However, with the advent of COVID-19 and the isolation, it causes these numbers are projected to increase dramatically.

While suicide among school-aged children is rare, it remains the tenth leading cause of death for kids. Among adults, Cook County, Illinois has had a 13% increase, and Fresno, California, has reported a 70% increase since last year in completed suicides. One can only imagine how much suicide among children will increase during the pandemic.

The most common method of death in childhood suicides is by suffocation or strangulation, with the second method being the use of a firearm.

Reasons Children Choose to Die by Suicide

It may be incomprehensible that children would choose to die by suicide; we must not ignore its prevalence. The primary symptom of suicide are children talking about it or trying to harm themselves. If your child exhibits self-harming behaviors, it is vital to seek out professional help immediately.

There are many reasons a child might decide to die by suicide, including the following:

• Being bullied at school
• Being bullied online
• The recent death of a loved one or pet
• Childhood sexual abuse
• Childhood abuse any type

No matter what instigates suicidal thoughts in children, the methods employed by kids are just as deadly as they are in adults.

Black children are more likely to die by suicide than children of any other demographic group leading a group of researchers in 2016 to come to the following conclusion:

“These findings raise questions about impulsive responding to psychosocial adversity in younger suicide decedents, and they suggest a need for both common and developmentally-specific suicide prevention strategies during the elementary school-aged and early adolescent years. Further research should investigate factors associated with the recent increase in suicide rates among black children.”

Risk Factors and Warning Signs a Child Might Consider Dying by Suicide

It has been exceedingly difficult for researchers to collect data on childhood suicide due to the small sample size related to that of adolescents or adults. However, the following list is of risk factors is believed to signal trouble ahead.

Risk Factors:

• Mental or physical illness
• Exposure to suicide in the family
• Family history of mental illness
• Exposure to any type of abuse
• Experiencing a loss such as a loved one or pet
• Lack of social support such as friends or a caring adult
• Difficulties with sexual orientation or identity
• Divorce of the parents
• Problems with the law
• Experiencing a traumatic event

There are also many warning signs that parents need to watch for in their children of any age.

Warning Signs:

• Unusual changes in appetite
• Increased irritability
• Risky behavior
• Not caring about playing with friends
• Intense sadness or expressions of hopelessness
• Recurring themes of death in artwork or written assignments at school
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Sleep disturbances (not sleeping or unable to remain asleep)
• The use of substances
• Giving away beloved possessions
• Declining school performance
• Increased absences from school

Knowing the risk factors and warning signs is vital to helping children avoid life-threatening suicidal ideation and actions.

Preventing Suicide in Children

Do not despair as there are many things you, as a parent or teacher, can do to prevent children from dying by suicide. In following the tips, you can become aware of a child’s danger and prevent a tragedy.

1. Always take seriously any expression of suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation among children should always be highly alarming and prompt you to action.
2. Ask, listen, and tell. Ask questions of your child about any warning signs you may have observed. Listen to them without judgment. Tell a mental health professional or your pediatrician if your child expresses a desire to die. This behavior is abnormal for children.
3. Take your child to the doctor immediately and if that doctor does not listen, find a different one.
4. You are not qualified to handle your child’s suicidal ideation alone. You need professional help to get the treatment your child needs.
5. Do not leave your child alone. Stay with them until professional help can be found.

Above all else, be aware of your children’s lives. If they spend time online, and most children do nowadays, pay attention to who they are talking to and what is being said. Start a conversation with your child about bullying, fear related to active shooter drills, and COVID-19. This will promote them into talking to you about their thoughts and give them a chance to relieve themselves of the burden of life’s stresses.

Although the incidences of suicide among young children is on the rise, you can prevent your child from becoming a statistic.

“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

If you are a survivor or someone who loves a survivor and cannot find a therapist who treats complex post-traumatic stress disorder, please, contact CPTSD Foundation. We have a staff of volunteers who have been compiling a list of providers who treat CPTSD. They would be happy to give you more ideas about where to look for and find a therapist to help you.

Are you a therapist who treats CPTSD? Please, consider dropping us a line to add you to our growing list of providers. You would not only get aid in finding clients but also you would be helping someone find the peace they deserve.

Shortly, CPTSD Foundation will have compiled a long list of providers who treat complex post-traumatic stress disorder. When it becomes available, we will be putting it on our website www.CPTSDFoundation.org.

Make sure to visit us and sign up for our weekly newsletter to help keep you informed on treatment options and much more for complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). State Suicide Rates Among Adolescents and Young Adults Aged 10–24: United States, 2000–2018. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/NVSR-69-11-508.pdf

Sheftall, A. H., Asti, L., Horowitz, L. M., Felts, A., Fontanella, C. A., Campo, J. V., & Bridge, J. A. (2016). Suicide in elementary school-aged children and early adolescents. Pediatrics, 138(4), e20160436.

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Shirley Davis

My name is Shirley Davis and I am a freelance writer with over 40-years- experience writing short stories and poetry. Living as I do among the corn and bean fields of Illinois (USA), working from home using the Internet has become the best way to communicate with the world. My interests are wide and varied. I love any kind of science and read several research papers per week to satisfy my curiosity. I have earned an Associate Degree in Psychology and enjoy writing books on the subjects that most interest me.