Children Are Having Suicidal Thoughts At Younger Ages

Although suicidal thoughts and self-harm have been well documented in teenagers, mental health experts warn that there’s growing evidence that more elementary and middle school students are in crisis. Because we may not expect young children to be suffering from suicidal thoughts, it can be easy to miss the signs. 

How common are suicidal thoughts in young children?

While suicides among children 10 and younger remain rare (29 reported in 2019, according to the CDC), mental health workers tell a more complicated story. In interviews, more than a dozen mental health professionals, including school counselors, social workers, psychiatrists and suicidologists, noted that they are seeing more young children in need of support, some of them as young as 5. 

Data from The Children’s Hospital Association confirms this rise in mental health crisis among young children. They reported that the number of children ages 6-12 who visited children’s hospitals for suicidal thoughts or self-harm has more than doubled since 2016. While visits for teenagers with suicidal thoughts or self-harm at these hospitals also rose from 2016 to 2019,  it was at a rate of 44 percent, compared to 115 percent for younger children.

It’s important to note that this rise in suicidal thoughts occurred before the pandemic. We already know that anxiety and depression among adults and teenagers have risen dramatically during the last year. It seems likely that younger children’s mental health will follow a similar trend.

Why has the problem gotten worse?

While there don’t seem to be any easy answers as to why younger children are suffering, a combination of factors does seem to be contributing to the problem. 

Cyberbullying: Many counselors attribute the rise in suicidal thoughts to social media. They note that more and more children are getting cellphones in elementary school. Kids at this age may not be equipped to navigate the complicated world of online socializing. 

Cyberbullying is common online and can have a deep impact on children’s mental and emotional health. 

Poverty: The percentage of children eligible for free or reduced-price lunch jumped to 52 percent from 38 percent over the past two decades.

Elementary school counselor Olivia Carter noted how this increase in poverty rates can affect mental health. “If housing is unstable, if there is food instability, that all contributes to anxiety and stress, even for students as young as I have,” she said. 

Immigration issues: Immigration issues can also affect children’s mental health. A 2018 study based on interviews with more than 200 Latino parents found both adults and children had higher levels of anxiety due to fears of deportation and anti-immigrant rhetoric. 

Racial inequality: A 2016 study found that children ages 5 to 11 who die by suicide were more likely to be Black and male, compared to children ages 12 through 14 who killed themselves.

Two of the main factors in the higher rates of suicide in children of color are poverty rates and lack of access to mental health services.

Multigenerational issues: Unfortunately, when left untreated, familial health and wellness issues can continue to affect generation after generation. Lori Chaffin-Britt, intensive treatment programs director at The Child Center said, “I see kids where multigenerational drug abuse, mental health issues and poverty have all worked together to create several generations of really, really unwell people.” 

What can we do to help our kids?

Just as the causes of suicidal thoughts in children aren’t clear-cut, neither are the solutions. Dr. Meghan Schott is the medical director of psychiatric emergency services at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where about 30 to 40 percent of psychiatric emergency room visits are elementary and middle school children. She notes that the lack of services geared towards young children, combined with the anxiety they experience in extended hospital stays away from their families can make treatment more difficult. Also, because this is a fairly new problem, doctors may not always be aware of what the best treatment plans are for young children.

The good news is that the pandemic has increased attention on youth mental health, prompting more mental health support in schools. Several states are debating giving students mental health days off. Utah even passed a law this year requiring elementary schools to offer suicide prevention programs. 

National mental health efforts like Lifelines, a crisis intervention training for K-12 students and faculty, have also begun including younger children in their programs. 

But, the first step to getting help for your child is to identify the problem.

What are the signs that young children are experiencing suicidal thoughts?

Very often parents are not even aware of how much a child is struggling. In fact, a recent study on 9- and 10-year-olds found that 88% of parents and caregivers were unaware their children had tried to kill themselves and half didn’t know their children had thought about suicide.

This is partly because depression and suicidal thoughts often look different in young children than in teenagers or adults. Renée Turner, a licensed professional counselor, says to pay attention if your children say things like, “What would the world look like without me?” or “It was a mistake to have me.” She also recommends looking for changes in behavior such as decreased interest in playing outdoors or difficulties in school. 

While young children in distress may also intentionally hurt themselves, self-harm is not always an indication that someone is suicidal.

If you are unsure about your child’s mental state, it is always best to get a professional option. 

Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.