They're coming to take me away today (haha-hehe) to the funny farm

Los Angeles County psychiatric mobile response team, which determined Jack needed to be committed to a 72-hour psychiatric hold at a local hospital.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines released a statement, saying in part, "When any student indicates a desire to take his or her own life, the LAUSD is required to follow strict protocols to ensure the safety of the student ... The safety of LAUSD students is paramount. We did the right thing here."

On Monday, her 6-year-old son Jack was committed to a psychiatric ward against her wishes after he drew a violent drawing at school and wrote that he wanted to die.

"They said they were concerned about a picture he drew. I said he plays video games and it's a picture from a video game."

The LA County Department of Mental Health issued a statement yesterday after news of Jack's involuntary commitment broke:

{W]e can confirm that our team of evaluators thoroughly investigates these reports before taking any action. We carefully and deliberately evaluate all situations, acting only when the circumstances warrant.

Over the past year, the department has seen an increase in suicide risk among very young children. Not only has there been a rise in the number of young children expressing thoughts of suicide, there has also been an increase in the seriousness of the risk.

We want to reassure the community that the evaluation of a minor for suicide risk and possible hospitalization is completed in a collaborative manner with school personnel, mental health providers and parents.
http://laist.com/2011/02/11/kid_sent_to_psych_ward.php

"I told (school officials) that he had never done any of this before, that he was upset that day because he didn't want to go to school," she said. "He was angry and crying, and I figured this was a way for him to get out of going to school."

Does a 6 yr old even know how to commit suicide? Has there ever in recorded history been a six yr old who committed suicide?

Samantha Kuberski, Six Years Old, Youngest Suicide Victim in Oregon State History
By Caleb Hannan
Apr. 5 2010

Six-year-old Samantha Kuberski was a happy kid who did well at school. Which is why tragedy was compounded by shock back in January, when medical examiners in Yamhill County, south of Portland, declared Samantha's death a suicide, making her the youngest person to take her own life in Oregon's history.

On December 2, the first-grader was allegedly sent to her room after getting in a fight with her mom. While her mother and three sisters were in other parts of their McMinnville house, Samatha reportedly crawled into an unused crib that had no mattress or box spring, tied a cordurouy belt around her neck and onto the crib's top railing and hung herself.

Samantha was found unconscious and rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her parents and siblings were later interviewed by police, who ruled out any foul play and said they found no signs that the young girl had ever been abused.

Now the only thing left to parse is what to call Samantha's tragic death. While the medical examiner has ruled it a suicide, detectives insist on calling it an accident, saying that a child that small could have no idea of the consequences of her actions, an argument backed up by adolescent psychiatrists like Dr. Kirk Wolfe.

"Most kids this age are not aware of what death actually is," he told the Yamhill Valley News-Register. "Not until they get to be 8, 9 and 10 do they understand death is final and you don't come back."
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2010/04/samantha_kuberski_six-years-ol.php

March 17, 2010
After 7-Year-Old Gabriel Myers' Suicide, Fla. Bill Looks to Tighten Access to Psychiatric Drugs

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CBS/WFOR) The apparent suicide of 7-year-old boy Gabriel Myers, who was taking several psychiatric medications, has led to the introduction of a bill in the Florida legislature, which would assure that powerful mental health drugs dispensed to Florida foster care children would be more closely monitored.

The proposal is largely based on the findings of a task force formed after Gabriel locked himself in a bathroom and hung himself with a shower cord last April....
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20000546-504083.html

Apparent suicide of 9-year-old boy in The Colony raises questions
By ALEX BRANCH
Jan. 22, 2010

What could cause a 9-year-old to take his own life?

Authorities, friends and the family of a boy from The Colony who was found hanged at school Thursday afternoon are struggling with that question after his apparent suicide.

A staffer at Stewart’s Creek Elementary School discovered fourth-grader Montana Lance in a bathroom, police said. No children witnessed the incident.

The Tarrant County medical examiner has not determined a manner of death, but police said they did not expect criminal charges.

"We feel like the victim acted alone; we just don’t know why," said Lt. Darren Brockway, a police spokesman for the city between Lewisville and Plano. "To fathom that a 9-year-old would even think that was an option . . . just boggles the mind."

Robby Wright, a friend of Montana’s family, said the boy’s parents, Jason and Debbie, are devastated by his death and grateful for the help they have received. "The outpouring of support from the community is very touching," he said.

Experts say that of all age groups, suicides are rarest in children younger than 10 in the United States. Typically, five to 10 suicides nationwide are reported in any given year, according to the American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C.

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reported 33 suicides among 5- to 9-year-olds from 1999 to 2006. Two were reported in Texas.

"They are infrequent," said Dr. Alex Crosby, medical epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "There is such a small number that there’s little research into that age group. Most of it focuses on older adolescents and teenagers."

But experts say younger children often need the same things as older adolescents — to experience success, belonging and positive connections. When they lack those things, they can grow despondent and desperate.

Because of their still-developing sense of awareness, they’re even less likely to fully comprehend the reality of death, said Patrick LeBlanc, a regional coordinator for Jason’s Foundation, an organization that provides youth suicide prevention and awareness programs for teachers, parents and counselors.

"A lot of them think they’ll be back at school tomorrow," LeBlanc said...

Children and depression

Bullying, loss of a loved one and divorce are factors that have been blamed for other cases of child suicide.

In most cases, the children had displayed fairly significant troubles in the past, said Dr. Lanny Berman, executive director of the suicidology association.

A misperception is that young children do not experience depression. About 5 percent of children and adolescents suffer from it, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Children who are under stress or have attention, learning or anxiety disorders are at higher risk of depression. It also runs in families.

Symptoms are often mistaken for adolescent moodiness, Berman said. Unlike in older people, depression in children is usually expressed in actions, rather than feelings.

"In general, it may be hard for the layperson to understand that a child can be clinically depressed," he said. "The bottom line is there are children as young as 4 or 5 who are diagnosed with depression."

It is important to remember, however, that in 40 percent of suicides, the victims do not exhibit symptoms of depression, he said.

That a child under 10 is aware of suicide is not that surprising, he said.

"With television and the Internet, you can’t be a child in today’s society and not be exposed to violent images," he said.

Number may be higher

Many experts say the number of suicides among younger children is likely higher than is reflected in statistics.

Some coroners and medical examiners are reluctant to rule the deaths of young children as suicides, Berman said.

Those deaths, he said, may instead be ruled accidents because of the belief that young children don’t truly understand the permanent consequence of their action.

However, there is evidence that some children have the cognitive ability to grasp the concept by age 6 or 7.

"Children under the age of 10 — if they are 8 or 9, in particular — are capable of understanding the consequence of the action," Berman said. "That is, 'That I will no longer exist in this life as I know it.’ "...
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/01/22/1915684/apparent-suicide-of-9-year-old.html