(South Africa) "Children as young as 6 are depressed and turning to suicide"

Feb 13, 2018, (South Africa) Independent: Children as young as 6 turning to suicide, says SADAG https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/parenting/children-as-young-as-6-turning-to-suicide-says-sadag-13255541 Children as young as six are depressed and turning to suicide as a way out. This week marks suicide prevention week and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) said awareness around suicide and mental health was important. Sadag Operations Director, Cassey Chambers said it was important to add mental health to the calendar and raise awareness around it. Chambers said that while there was no real spike or pattern in suicides, they noted a number of cases late last year that involved children. “If you think of a class with 30 or 40 learners, one in four is a high number in such a small group. In 10 days we had a six-year- old and that is the youngest we know of, we also had a 9-year-old and also a 12-year-old commit suicide. For us that is very alarming and very high. “We need to create awareness now we see we need to focus on children, and parents must know about it and cannot assume that because they are children they can't be depressed.”… Chambers said depression affected children from all walks of life. “The interesting thing is there is not more in rural areas when compared to urban areas; we are seeing the same in both which shows mental illness does not discriminate. The methods are different in urban areas where we see more overdosing on medication; in rural areas we see overdosing on chemicals.” Sadag will be conducting a “Suicide Shouldn't be a Secret” programme with their School Talk Team that will be visiting various schools around the country. … To further support Teen Suicide Prevention Week, Sadag is hosting two live chats on #Facebook on Friday, February 16, at 1pm and at 7pm with psychologists.