A police report said that a 14-year old girl peeked through a keyhole of a room that was locked in her family home and saw her brother, a seven-year old, with a belt around his neck and hanging from his bunk bed.
The girl immediately notified her mother and dialed 911. With the help of a neighbor, the mother was able to force her way into the bedroom. She took the boy down and called 911 as well.
The seven-year old was depressed because of being bullied by kids at his school as well as some kids who lived in the neighborhood. He also had been disturbed because of the recent separation of his parents.
Police said the boy had expressed that he was thinking of harming himself. The boy’s mother told police that the pastor for the family had been counseling the boy to help him get through his depression.
For the last couple of years, the issue and consequences of bullying have been topics of much interest. There have been books written, discussions held and even cartoons to bring attention to the matter. This recent incident has many wondering how such a young child could bring such harm against himself.
Experts in the field say that often times a child that young does not understand how final death is. However, parents need to take seriously signs that take place. In 2009, there were close to 37,000 suicides reported in the U.S. and 265 of those were children between the ages of 5 and 14.
