image by: HWN

HWN Suggests

The Tragedy of Child Suicide

It may come as a surprise—and shock—to many that a child that young could even begin to contemplate ending his or her own life. And in fact, until relatively recently it was believed that children under the age of puberty simply “couldn’t” commit suicide, both because they had an incomplete understanding of the permanence of death and because young kids couldn’t be depressed in the way we think of depression...

Here’s what has emerged so far about what might trigger such youthful suicidal thoughts or actions, and how to be alert to the warning signs in your child. Both studies and clinical observation have found that certain events or situations can act as triggers for young children…

read full article

Featured

 8-Year-Olds in Despair: The Mental Health Crisis Is Getting Younger

The number of children who need urgent mental health care has been on the rise for years, and spiked during the pandemic.

 A Rise in Suicides by Young Children Leaves Families Searching for Answers

Suicidal thoughts and attempts are more common in younger children than previously thought, and parents often don’t know.

 Rising number of suicide attempts among young children worries NW physicians, poison centers

Use of medications or other poisons to attempt suicide or self-harm are rising among youths as young as 9, and the largest increases are among those ages 10-12.

 The Mystifying Rise of Child Suicide

A family tragedy sheds light on a burgeoning mental-health emergency.

Articles of Interest

Children and Suicide

Statistics show that there are very few suicides of children. While this is positive, child suicide deaths are often officially reported as accidents or unintentional deaths so they are likely under-reported.

Do Children Commit Suicide?

Yes, but sometimes it seems like an accident.

Hospitals See Growing Numbers Of Kids And Teens At Risk For Suicide

The number of kids who struggle with thoughts of suicide or who attempt to kill themselves is rising. New research, published Wednesday in Pediatrics, finds children ages 5 to 17 visited children's hospitals for suicidal thoughts or attempts about twice as often in 2015 as in 2008.

How to talk to your child about suicide

Unfortunately many lives are touched by suicide. And while you may want to hide the means of death from your child, this may not be possible, especially in the age of social media.

More Children Are Dying By Suicide Recently, Study Shows

A new study shows an increase in suicidality among children as young as five and investigates the shared characteristics among kids who die by suicide.

Study shows the alarming rise in the suicide rate among African-American boys

Child suicide is primarily a problem among boys: among 657 children ages 5 to 11 who died by suicide between 1993 and 2012, 84 percent were male.

Understanding the Characteristics of Suicide in Young Children

Suicidal thoughts or actions, even in very young children, are a sign of extreme distress and should not be ignored.

Understanding the factors surrounding child suicide

Research indicates that the use of suicide risk screening tools by pediatricians increases the detection of suicide risk in youth 400 percent without overburdening clinical care.