Suicidal thoughts and actions have doubled over the past decade in kids between 5 to 17, recent US study shows. 

“The reason children think about or attempt suicide is the “million-dollar question,” said Dr. Gregory Plemmons, presenter of the study and an associate professor of pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

 

School drives a lot of this (suicidal) behaviour.

 

School drives a lot of this behavior, he said, and he wonders whether it might represent the overall influence of “social media and socialization in general. … We know that school’s a stress just like a job is a stress.”

One of the predominant theories behind teen suicide is cyberbullying, Plemmons said. “It’s anonymous today, I think that’s a big difference. Years ago, you knew who (the bullies) were.”

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