Disturbing Drawing

[kincaid22]

My 7 year old son has drawn a picture of two stick figures, one of which is holding a weapon.  Over the picture (in his best 1st grade spelling) was "I am going to kill" and the name of the other child.  Then, on the other side of the page, it read that he hates this child and the word revenge over another menacing stick figure.  This is the first I've seen of him drawing anything like this.  Should I get him into some kind of counseling?  Should I get him into some sort of activity, i.e. karate, that will allow him to release his frustrations in a more constructed way?  Any insight would be appreciated.

Confused Mom.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The drawing does invite concern, and it would be prudent to arrange an evaluation with a pediatric mental health clinician. What did your son have to say about the picture? What prompted the anger toward the other child? You might also have a talk with the teacher and see what the teacher's perspective is on your son's relationships with peers.

[srt12780]

I definately wouldn't ignore it!  Oh boy, I would get him into see a coucelor, but make sure it's someone that works with children, behavior therapy, or anger management issues.  You might also want him to see a psychiatrist to see if he may have some sort of disorder (not trying to be rude here) such as bipolar, or a behavior disorder, etc.  That's definately a red flag!  I would talk to my ped dr. and ask for a refferral and don't let them dismiss this, tell them you are concerned and want to seek help no matter what they think.  Not all peds Dr's are informed in mental health issues.