Comage-Trower: Children are battling with suicidal ideology, self-harm

When we picture children, we conjure images of toys, laughter, running carefree through school playgrounds and huddling close together with friends to share jokes and show off new light-up sneakers. We recoil at the thought of a child huddled under their cartoon blanket waiting for their parents to fall asleep so they can swallow a bottle of sleeping pills.

We avoid talking about the children who silently walk through their day with an arm scarred red from a razor.

We don’t want to think about a child planning to end their life.

The heartbreaking truth is that suicide, suicidal ideology and self-harm aren’t “adult problems.” It spans across all demographics and ignoring how the mental health crisis also includes our children doesn’t make the problem disappear.

A study by the Children’s Hospital Association revealed the number of children ages 6-12 who were admitted into a hospital for suicidal thoughts/self-harm has doubled since 2016, and the number of children who die by suicide is increasing at an alarming rate.

As adults, we believe because children don’t typically deal with issues like bills or jobs then there isn’t any reason to worry about their mental health.

We might believe we’re effectively shielding them from anything too stressful. Or we might think that because they’re too young to fully comprehend things that are said or what’s happened, then it didn’t have any impact on their young minds.

Sometimes, we even devalue how heavy the events in their lives can be (especially if we compare it to our own “adult problems”). How much stress could a 12-year-old possibly be experiencing in school? Surely the 9-year-old can just brush off the mean comments?

A 6-year-old would likely forget events before it does any real damage, right?

Unfortunately, caregivers and parents often don’t catch declining mental health in their children until it’s reached a crisis level. It can be challenging to catch since it doesn’t manifest in children’s behavior the same way it might for a teen or adult.

Editor's note: Amanda Comage-Trower is CEO and founder of Mental Heart Health. Learn more at: mentalheart.org.