Children and Suicide Resource Toolkit

introduction
Are children under 12 really at risk of suicide? Many people
would answer: “No! How could they be?”
But both empirical evidence and anecdotal information suggest
otherwise.
So why do so many believe children to be immune to suicidal
thoughts and actions?
One reason is the relative rarity of suicide deaths of children.
Statistics show that there are very few suicides of children.
However, this can be partly explained by underreporting.
When child suicides do occur, they are often officially reported
as accidents. Numerous studies suggest that the number of
children who die by suicide is higher than the reported figures
(http://bit.ly/VQ3Ixp).
Another reason is that it is believed that children do not have
the developmental maturity to act on suicidal thoughts
(CSP, 2000).
However, research shows that by the age of 8 or 9 children do
have a thorough understanding of suicide (Tishler, 2007).
Children often have the intent to cause self-injury or death
regardless of a full comprehension of the lethality or finality of
the act (ibid, 2007). They may just wish to end their emotional
pain without fully understanding the consequences of their
actions. Click here for more.