my sister wants to hurt herself

[0katerina0]

Well, I don't know if this is the most suitable topic for my question. Since a few weeks, my 8 year old sister comes crying and says that she constantly thinks of what would happen if she hurt herself, for example stabbed with a knife, and that she feels the urge to do it but doesn't want to. We're really worried. Is it psychological or could it be about pathological issues ? Our pediatrician advised as to do a thyroid examination, at least for a start. Both of her grandparents died in the last 2 yeas, and she was present at their funerals, could she have been affected by that? What is the best thing to do?

[NocturnalOracle]

This sounds almost like OCD behaviour; without a doubt this child needs to be evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible. Any time someone expresses the intention to harm themselves it should be taken seriously, and especially from one so young. Coming to you crying is indicative of the extreme distress and emotional disturbance she is experiencing, and she's coming to you for obvious reasons; She's crying out for help. Get her to a doctor ASAP.

[blujay12]

Hi 0katerina0,

A death in a family is a very traumatic experience, however it is unusual for it to trigger behaviors this extreme. It looks like she wants to commit suicide. Keep in mind, that at any age, even as young as eight, someone may think of committing suicide. One thing for sure, you need to find out what is going on. Does she feel lots of guilt? Has she been domestically abused, or abused by schoolmate(s) or teachers, or janitors? If you've seen the headlines, bullying does contribute to suicide. I've thought about killing myself countless times during my troubling adolescence. Has someone encouraged her to hurt herself? The first step you need to take is talk to her about it -- do not confront her. The second step is to get a therapist -- if you feel like she needs therapy,talk to her about it; if she won't listen or talk to the therapist, stop. Another good thing to do is get her into something fun (i.e. music or sports). All kids should attend extra-curricular activities, anyway. If she doesn't seem to have a lot of fun in her life, she may feel like life isn't worth living. Trust me, kids are profound. If you think this answer isn't helping, feel free to reply and give me more details to match it up some more.