Prevalence Among Children and Teens
According to an article published in A Pediatric Perspective (2000), 60 to 80 percent of children and teens who have depression will attempt suicide. Even more shocking, children as young as five years old can be suicidal. About 8 percent of teens with depression will attempt suicide. Girls make more attempts, but boys are four to five times more successful. To make matters worse, of those who made unsuccessful attempts, 40 percent will try again!
High-Risk Groups
Two types of children with depression are thought to be at a higher risk for suicidal behavior. The severely depressed child who feels hopeless and worthless and children with accompanying eating disorders are the first group. When they attempt suicide, it is usually well thought out and planned carefully. The second group consists of depressed children who are impulsive and in a fit of emotion try to hurt themselves.
Fact
The reason boys are more successful than girls in completing a suicide is that they typically use more lethal methods that have little to no chance for failure. The three most common ways boys commit suicide is with firearms, hanging, and overdose or ingestion of some poisonous material.
Are Young Children at Risk?
Small children can also become suicidal. They start out with a preoccupation with death accompanied by some sort of feeling that they are bad. They lack the ability to understand that death is forever, and so their attempts or statements need to be addressed immediately. One of the most popular attempts a small child will use is to jump from a roof of a house.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among teenagers. For children, it is the fourth-leading cause. These statistics are not meant to scare you, but they should serve as a very serious wake-up call if your child is depressed.
