When six year olds attempt suicide
Last week, we were struck by the shocking story of a six-year-old girl in Oregon whose death has been labeled a suicide. We wondered: Is it really possible for a first-grader to suffer from suicidal tendencies? And to deliberately take her own life?
Judith Warner is a writer for our partner The New York Times and the author of ?We’ve Got Issues,? an examination of childhood psychiatric disorders and how they’re treated. She sheds light on this upsetting case, and on the topic of childhood mental illness and suicide.
And Dana Perry shares the story of her late son Evan. As a young child, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After a decade of threatening and attempting suicide, he took his own life at age fifteen. His lifelong struggle is documented in Diana’s film, ?Boy Interrupted.?
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.