Samantha Kuberski, only 6 years old, the youngest child to commit suicide

A tragic event that opens many questions about suicide in childhood.

Samantha KuberskiSamantha Kuberski, a 6-year-old girl, was a cheerful school-goer. In December 2009, she took her own life. She apparently had no problems, so her suicide puzzled health professionals.

When coroners examined her body in Yamhill County, South Portland, they declared it was indeed a suicide, making Samantha the youngest person to take her own life. the youngest person to take her own life.

Youngest child to commit suicide

The events occurred on December 2 in the US state of Oregon. After an argument with her mother, Samantha was punished in her room. While her mother and sisters were in different rooms of their McMinnville home, the little girl climbed into a crib that the Kuberski family owned, but did not use.

After putting a belt around her neck, she dropped down from the top of the crib's railing.. When Kellie, her mother, entered the room she saw the unconscious body of little Samantha. Although she tried to resuscitate her, she could do nothing to save her life. She was then taken to the hospital where her death was officially announced.

Was little Samantha aware of what she was doing?

Samantha's parents and siblings were questioned by the police, but it was the law enforcement officers themselves who later stated that found no signs that the little girl had been the victim of abuse at any time in her life..

What is striking about this case is the question of whether Samanta was really aware of her tragic death. While the medical-forensic team that examined the victim reported that it was a suicide, the police officers in charge of the investigation insisted that it could be an accident. In addition, they questioned why such a young girl could have been killed in the first place, they questioned whether such a young girl was aware of the consequences of her actions, and they had similar opinions from the police officers in charge of the investigation.They had similar opinions from some experts, such as psychiatrist Dr. Kirk Wolfe.

Do children understand the meaning of suicide?

"Many children of this age are not aware of what death means," Wolfe explained to Yamhill Valley News. He further added, "It's not until the age of 8, 9 or 10 that they begin to understand the meaning of death, and that there is no return once it occurs."

The relationship between depression and suicide

The lack of hope for the future and the loss of autonomy in the face of life and feelings are two of the most common causes that occur for a person to make the decision to commit suicide. Since depression is capable of incapacitating a person and he/she usually rejects the help that family and friends can provide, it is complicated its diagnosis in many occasions.It is often difficult to diagnose in many cases. Depressed people pay too much attention to the negative aspects of life, living in an eternal pessimism.

It is the lack of hope and future expectations that causes them to generate suicidal ideas and end up committing the act. In fact, many studies have been conducted with older people on depressive disorder and suicide, but what happens in a child's mind to make him or her take his or her own life?

As well as in adulthood, Suicidal ideation is very common during adolescence, without this meaning that there is an imminent danger to life.. If these ideas are not associated with different factors (understood as risk factors) or if they are not planned, the suicide may not be carried out. In adolescence, it is considered that for every adolescent who commits suicide, about three hundred attempt it.

Suicidal acts are not common in individuals under 15 years of age.

While many adolescents are suicidal, the same is not true for children under the age of 10. In fact, it is almost impossible to find studies that refer to this phenomenon.. Regarding this, psychiatrists Karaman and Durukan (2013), write:

"Suicide before the age of 15 is not common. Many child and adolescent suicides occur after that age. According to a Center for Disease, Control and Prevention (CDC) study conducted in 2009, the suicide rate in children aged 10 to 14 years was 1.3 per 100,000, in young people aged 15 to 19 years was 7.75 per 100,000, and in people aged 20 to 24 years was 12.5 per 100,000."