I have an 8-year-old with behavioral issues. Several times he has said he wants to drown himself. What do I do?<\/p>\n\t
Assuming that the statements are not hyperbole, such as indicating embarrassment by saying “I wish I were dead,” then you have a problem on your hand that cannot be ignored. It is not typical for a child to express suicidal thoughts. Something is majorly wrong and you need to seek help immediately.<\/p>\n
You stated that your child has behavioral problems, but without details, it is impossible to recommend a course of action. What I’m most concerned about is the possibility that he has been placed on an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), such as Paxil, Zoloft, or Prozac. These products are anti-depressants and are sometimes given in an attempt to stabilize moods. Except for Prozac, they are NOT approved by the FDA for use with children under 18. One of the reasons for the lack of approval is the use of these products has been linked to increased suicidal thoughts in children — doubling the rate from 2% to 4%.<\/p>\n
Too often, I have been finding parents willing to use drugs to compensate for poor child-rearing practices. There are children with psychological problems that might require drugs, but the vast majority of cases can be handled with proper parenting techniques. You might have to work harder at it than your neighbor down the street, but it can be done and it generally has better long-term results because the child learns to manage himself without reliance on drugs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I have an 8-year-old with behavioral issues. Several times he has said he wants to drown himself. What do I do? Answer: Assuming that the statements are not hyperbole, such as indicating embarrassment by saying “I wish I were dead,” then you have a problem on your hand that cannot be ignored. It is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1028,1032],"tags":[665,29,39],"class_list":["post-13864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parenting","category-preteen","tag-child-rearing","tag-parenting","tag-suicide"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33065,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-a-mother-have-a-role-in-the-development-of-her-son\/","url_meta":{"origin":13864,"position":0},"title":"Does a mother have a role in the development of her son?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was wondering if a mother has a role in the sexual development of her son like the father. Answer: What the Bible indicates is that mothers are important to moral standards that a child grows up to accept. \"Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59452,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-normal-for-an-eight-year-old-boy-to-be-touching-himself\/","url_meta":{"origin":13864,"position":1},"title":"Is it normal for an eight-year-old boy to be touching himself?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have custody of an 8-year-old boy. During the first six years of his life, he was exposed to drugs, sex, filthy language, compulsive lying, and a lot of antisocial behavior from his mother and other adults in his life. He frequently puts his hands down his pants out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Childhood"","block_context":{"text":"Childhood","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/childhood\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24614,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-does-a-parent-prepare-himself-for-the-need-to-punish\/","url_meta":{"origin":13864,"position":2},"title":"How does a parent prepare himself for the need to punish?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have read many of the answers you have given about spanking and while I disagree or am uncomfortable with using anything other than a hand for it, I have seen the positive effects of spanking being part of several punishment options for parents with my friends and their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13855,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-present-an-attractive-meal-for-a-five-year-old-child\/","url_meta":{"origin":13864,"position":3},"title":"How do you present an attractive meal for a five-year-old child?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do you present an attractive meal for a five-year-old child? Answer: My first thought was why would a parent want to cater to the whims of a child? Is it for a special occasion? Or is the child ill and not eating well? Or are you as the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Childhood"","block_context":{"text":"Childhood","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/childhood\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13852,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-i-do-the-right-thing-by-spanking-my-child-for-pushing-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":13864,"position":4},"title":"Did I do the right thing by spanking my child for pushing me?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question. My youngest son is 4 years old. Yesterday he pushed me and said some bad words. I was upset and I asked him to apologize, but\u00a0he didn't. Today his misbehavior returned. He did the same thing. I\u00a0took him to his room, but he\u00a0yelled, so I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Childhood"","block_context":{"text":"Childhood","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/childhood\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56940,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/his-parents-were-too-strict\/","url_meta":{"origin":13864,"position":5},"title":"His Parents Were Too Strict","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 16, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Boyd Sellers Have you ever heard that statement? You'll see some scraggly kid who cares about nothing and nobody, who has long ago left the Lord (though he may have been faithfully \"going to church\"), and who has literally broken his parents' hearts. 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