What Every Parent Should Know

As a parent, it can be difficult working out if something is just a phase or a more serious issue, particularly in these challenging times. But, with depression in young people on the rise, it’s as critical as ever to get attuned to the state of our children’s mental health. Here, a clinical psychologist in Singapore shares what every parent shou ld know about depression in children, signs to look for and what to do if you think your child could be suffering from thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

- Amy Greenburg

Depression is often thought of as an adult condition rather than one that impacts children. But, while it can seem unimaginable for an eight-year old to think about ending their own life, it’s an unfortunate reality that very much exists beyond the realm of adults and teens.

DR SANVEEN KANG is a clinical psychologist and founder of Psych Connect. She helps families manage all kinds of mental health issues, and provides comprehensive psychological testing and therapy for infants up to early adult years.

She says thoughts of self-harm or suicide are more common in kids than many of us might think. Research from the US suggests that more children as young as kindergarten age are in dire need of support, and the number of children aged six to 12 who visited hospitals for suicidal thoughts or self-harm has more than doubled since 2016.

In Singapore, suicide is actually the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 29.

Spotting the signs – and taking them seriously

Often, children and adolescents thinking about suicide may make openly suicidal statements or comments such as, “I wish I was dead”, “I won’t be a problem for you much longer” or “I don’t want to live anymore”.

But, how can you determine whether or not your child is actually going to inflict self-harm?

“Research shows that suicidal thoughts and behaviours are the greatest predictors of suicide,” says Dr Kang. “These include passive thoughts of wanting to be dead, recurrent thoughts about ending one’s life, plans and behaviours that ‘rehearse’ killing oneself, and suicide attempts.”