How do so many young children die by suicide - is it because they act on impulse instead of carefully planning it like adults?

[maccer23]

First time poster - 37 year old female who is suffering debilitating symptoms after trying an SSRI for very mild anxiety. I am not completely anhedonic, I never sleep and I just cant envision a life like this. I have thought about suicide every day for 10 months since this started but have held on because I loved my life so much before - but now i cant feel anything.
I have purchased everything I need to a nitrogen exit bag, ive read every forum, the PPH, blogs, anything I can find to make sure I have it set up properly.
I have looked on a facebook page called 'suicide awareness' and I am blown away at the number of young teens (some as young as 10) who have died by suicide.
How do they know how to do this?
What methods are they using?
How did it get so bad for them?
I just have so many questions....

 

[58Alice85]

Same reason why adults ctb? they simply do not want to live anymore

 

[maccer23]

But they are so young - how are they researching this - how are they brave enough to just act on the impulse without wanting the certainty we all want. I guess it comes down to being less risk averse when you are young - you act before you think. Whereas the older we get it seems we think before we act.
I think what I am trying to say is that its tragically sad because they are so young and things could get better, but I envy the ability they have to go through with it.

 

[EmptyBottle]

But they are so young - how are they researching this - how are they brave enough to just act on the impulse without wanting the certainty we all want. I guess it comes down to being less risk averse when you are young - you act before you think. Whereas the older we get it seems we think before we act.
I think what I am trying to say is that its tragically sad because they are so young and things could get better, but I envy the ability they have to go through with it.

either they do a few web queries (eg "how to tie a noose"), try a few times or less, and finalise their existence.

 

[FadingSnowFake]

Hello and welcome, and also sorry for where you find yourself at this point. Coincidentally, it's also been about 10 months for me, of being suicidal. I wish you all the best on this path, whichever way it may lead.

As for your post, I think it says a lot about the state of the world, for teens to be feeling they need to end it so soon. I asked ChatGPT quite recently for some suicide related stats, I'm sharing FYI.

These were the numbers and rates p/100k of age group (based on available data in the US):




When I asked where suicide fits into leading causes of death p/age group:



And when I asked about the top 5 causes (Data from the CDC WISQARS leading causes of death report via NIMH - US, 2022):

Age Group	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
10–14	Unintentional injuries	Suicide	Cancer	Homicide	Congenital anomalies
15–24	Unintentional injuries	Homicide	Suicide	Cancer	Heart disease
25–34	Unintentional injuries	Suicide	Homicide	Heart disease	Cancer

And for comparison, for older groups:

Age Group	Rank	Cause of Death	Notes
35–44	1	Unintentional injury	Accidents
	2	Heart disease
	3	Malignant neoplasms (cancer)
	4	COVID-19
	5	Liver disease
	—	Suicide	Not in top 5 in this group
45–54	1	Heart disease	Top cause
	2	Malignant neoplasms (cancer)
	3	COVID-19
	4	Liver disease
	5	Suicide	Ranks 5th in this age group

I didn't ask about methods, but it's sad to think how determined they must be, to see no future, and no alternative.

 

[axab43]

First time poster - 37 year old female who is suffering debilitating symptoms after trying an SSRI for very mild anxiety. I am not completely anhedonic, I never sleep and I just cant envision a life like this. I have thought about suicide every day for 10 months since this started but have held on because I loved my life so much before - but now i cant feel anything.
I have purchased everything I need to a nitrogen exit bag, ive read every forum, the PPH, blogs, anything I can find to make sure I have it set up properly.
I have looked on a facebook page called 'suicide awareness' and I am blown away at the number of young teens (some as young as 10) who have died by suicide.
How do they know how to do this?
What methods are they using?
How did it get so bad for them?
I just have so many questions....

I completely understand about you holding on because your life was better before. Over the past ten years, everyone in my life who really loved me has died. When they were alive it was completely different, now I have developed other physical things as well that I can't handle and really do not want to be here any more. Interesting you said about young people. They obviously do just act on purpose. I have purchased SN, but it just seems really scary, (I overthink everything.) As you said, young people may be more risk averse and just do it without thinking.

 

[Xiaojiu]

I was suicidal in my teens and the emotions were high thanks to hormones. O: I just acted on impulse then (Parents would get in the way obviously). But, nowadays, I have to plan everything to just make sure it is successful.

 

[woofwag]

I googled it and it seemed most common methods for teens/adolescents are hangings, jumping from heights, poisoning, and firearms. I tried to die when I was 6 by slitting my throat (very unsuccessful). I was being abused and was mentally ill. There are a lot of things that would contribute to young kids wanting to die -- abuse, divorce, poverty, bullying, mental illness, traumatic events, loss of loved ones, etc etc. There are a lot of quick methods, but as adults, I think many of us prefer something more peaceful, which is often harder to access and therefore takes us longer to procure.