Suicidal children?

Question

My eight year old son has told my husband that he wants to die. He has said it several times in the past week. He has Aspergers, so has behavioural problems, but tends to be blatantly honest about everything. He is highly intelligent, and apparently had already conconcted a plan on how he was going to do it.

YES! We already have an appointment with the pediatrician, and we will bring that up in the meeting, and take on their invaluable advice.

What I am asking is if there are other parents out there who have experienced this with their young children. How did you get through it without coming across as a panic merchant, or without making it into an attention seeking behaviour?

I have learnt from experience with a friend that you cant dismiss suicidal threats! But I also know you can't make too much of a big deal about it either.

Answer 1

My son went through that and he said it was because he didnt have any friends at school that liked/cared about him. Maybe thats whats happeneing with yours too?

Answer 2

let him know that he is loved and cared for. many are suicidal because of troble in their life take time out to talk to him and find out what is going on

Answer 3

Thankfully haven't experienced this with my children yet (8yrs and 17months) and hope that I won't, however, I did experience this myself at a very young age.  It wasn't until after I had my first daughter at 18 that anyone bothered to explain depression for me and a light bulb suddenly lit up for me.  I had no idea what was wrong with me, I just knew I was miserable from kinder onwards.  I am SO glad that you are taking steps early on, your son is very very lucky.  Personally, I swear by natural therapists.  I saw counsellor's and doctor's by the dozen through my teenage years and none of it really helped too much.  Depression like that is so deep deep down that all they will do it medicate you.  Of course I am not against that, it is sometimes completely necessary.  I also think it's important to get to the bottom of the issue.  After years of medication and battling and battling, I started seeing kinesiologists and naturapaths etc.  I really do highly recommend getting him help from that side of things as well, and give it a chance, sometimes it takes a while to get anywhere at all, but it is so worth a try with your precious son.  Well done on being such a wonderful parent and good luck

Answer 4

I would be taking this seriously. How long to the appointment. I would be trying to get an earlier one if it is too long away. He is obviously feeling bad. You need to get to the bottom of this

Answer 5

My son was clinically depressed and suicidal at the age of nine, probably before then but we got the diagnosis for it at nine. He was diagnosed with aspergers at the age of eight.

We have a good psychologist who did his evaluation, and we saw regularly for consults, so she helped us handle everything. To be honest, the problems were not just stress from school (even being smart, he had a hard time being organized and the teachers gave him h**l about that), but also the way people treated him (adults and students both) He just couldn't learn enough social stuff in the amount of time he had. We decided to homeschool long enough for him to develop more and get organized.

I would take a threat from a kid with aspergers a lot more seriously than with other children. Do not dismiss his pain. It is very real and very hurtful, and he needs help. He needs a counselor who has years of experience dealing with kids on the spectrum (who understand HOW they think, because it is SO different than how most people think)

Good luck. It's not easy. It has taken three years to get my son back to happy, and functioning like other boys his age. He still has a ways to go, but homeschooling has helped. He has made so many more friends, without being abused by so many people at once. Not just bullies, but he was treated as the laughing stock because of his differences.

Answer 6

My son has spoke of similar things and he is being tested for aspergers as well.  It is a problem I am told for children with bipolar and aspergers because of hormones and their personality changes.  I take my son to councling once a week with a councler that works only with younger children (ages 10 and below) and is knowledgable with these problems.