It’s rare. But when it happens, the news shocks and disturbs. In recent weeks, three Illinois children ages 11 and younger — including two from the Chicago area — took their own lives.
Here in the Fox Valley, a seventh-grader from Oswego committed suicide on Feb. 25.
The Elgin area has not been immune to such tragedies. St. Charles School District 303 officials say that since 2001, there have been six suicides among its students. They included a fifth-grader who teachers said showed no visible signs of depression.
More than anything, experts say, these headlines show the importance of making prevention resources available to students. After the fifth-grader’s death in 2002, District 303 invited parents, students and teachers to form a committee to research health class curriculums that would increase suicide awareness. The result was a comprehensive program for all grades, said Stacy Anderson, assistant director for prevention in District 303.
These include units on suicide and depression for students in sixth through 12th grades.
In elementary school health classes, children are taught how to identify their feelings and are given directions on where to go if they are feeling sad or angry. The material, Anderson said, never speaks specifically of suicide in the elementary grades because “it is really not developmentally appropriate to bring those topics” at such a young age.
School resources
Stephanie Weber, executive director of Suicide Prevention Services — or SPS — in Batavia, said it’s been difficult to get even middle and high schools in the area to include suicide prevention programs in their curriculums.
“Batavia High School has embraced our model from the beginning,” she said. “We feel that when something like child suicide starts happening, we need to be proactive.”
Elgin School District U46 does not have a specific program for suicide prevention, although most schools spend a couple of days in health class talking about the topic.
Jerry Ciffone, school social worker for South Elgin High School, has developed a program in which one day is spent discussing the topic of depression and mood disorders, and another day discussing suicide and what to do if a student is concerned about a friend.
“Experts are still studying what is the best way to go about addressing suicide and preventing it,” he said. “There isn’t any agreement on a national level or state level on what works best. Consequently, some schools hold back because they don’t want to inadvertently create a problem, while others are forging ahead.”
Bonnie Waltmire, a St. Charles mother who lost her 16-year-old daughter to suicide in 2007, is lobbying her daughter’s former school, St. Charles East High, to increase awareness.
“We need more education about mental health issues, awareness and also acceptance,” she said. “We need to teach that these diseases and illnesses of the brain are just as real as diabetes and heart disease.”
Craig Harling, director of behavioral health at Provena Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin, said societal pressures may be contributing to an increase in child suicide.
“We are certainly seeing more and more kids who are responding to social pressure, particularly in the schools,” he said. “They just feel like they can’t handle the pressure anymore from other kids, whether it is bullying or just feeling like they don’t fit in.”
There also is debate about the correlation between antidepressants and child suicide.
Harling said physicians need to be careful in prescribing antidepressants.
“On the one hand, there are situations where antidepressants are necessary,” he said. “On the other hand, since the FDA has noted an increase in suicidal thoughts in children on antidepressants, we have to be extremely vigilant about medicating kids. When we do prescribe, we always combine it with talk therapy to help them do more problem-solving.”
Warning signs
Mari Wittum, director of clinical services at SPS, says there is a dearth of information on child suicide.
“The warning signs for child depression and teen depression may be different,” she said. “But since child suicide is so rare, there is not enough information to create lists of warning signs for parents to look for.”
Wittum said 10- to 11-year-old children often are uneducated about basic warning signs of suicide.
“They may have told their friends that they were thinking about it because kids talk to other kids,” she said. “Kids need to know this is not something they should keep secret.”
Dr. Shawn Daugherty, psychologist at Streamwood Behavioral Health, said red flags to look for include sleep problems and feelings of low self-worth, much like adult signs.
Daugherty stressed that the most important way to combat depression is to have a strong relationship with your children, where they feel they can talk about feeling sad and out of control.
The optimal treatment for a young child, he added, is usually a combination of medication with play therapy. He also said parents should seek professional help immediately if they see warning signs.
“Follow your gut,” he said. “It is better to have checked it out and for the doctor to say ‘Don’t worry about it’ than to have your child struggling … and then find out it is too late.”
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