The image is from www.sadag.org.za
Mental health is proving to be a silent killer as more young children are reported to be attempting suicide.
Over 7,400 children under the age of 18 were reportedly treated for suicide attempts from April to December in 2024.
Teen Suicide Prevention Week – which is observed from the 9th to the 16th of February 2025, under the theme: “Your Feelings Matter, let’s Talk” – highlights the importance of a collaborative effort by parents, caregivers, teachers and communities to help preent suicidal behaviour.
“What we have seen in the last few months is that the children dying by suicide are becoming younger and younger. We are now seeing primary school going children presenting suicidal behaviour,” the Director of Psychosocial Support in the Department of Education, Sibongile Monareng said.
According to Monareng, research is showing that the reasons for suicidal behaviour differ.
“With younger children it seems to be family problems such as violence at home, parents that are fighting or getting a divorce. Teenage pregnancy is also linked to suicide behaviour, bullying is one of the major constitutors to suicide, while anxiety and depression are also conditions that can make individuals feel overwhelmed, she added.
Parents, teachers and society also need to play a vital role in creating psychologically safe environments for young people so that they are encouraged to be honest about how they feel.
“Parents also need guidance on how to deal with children going though adolescent, as this stage in children’s lives can be overwhelming,” said Monareng.
Meanwhile the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) said the stigma around mental health remains a challenge that needs to be addressed urgently so that further suicide and suicidal attempts can be prevented.
“We know that from our school outreach work, there’s a lack of mental health resources within schools and communities, there’s a lot of stigma around mental health. There isn’t enough crisis support that’s accessible, not enough people such as teachers, parents that know enough about what do in a suicide crisis,” Operations Director at SADAG Cassie Chambers said.
“We need to have an immediate investment in school based mental health services, where teachers, schools’ management team and leaner support agents are trained and equipped on how to deal with mental health emergency as well as understanding teen depression and suicide prevention” Chambers added.SADAG also called on parents and caregivers to seek training on how to identify and deal with suicidal behaviour.