Kids, 9 and 11, ruled suicides

[LeighAnn]

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Two children have killed themselves by hanging in the past two weeks in Northeast Philadelphia, sparking worries of a burgeoning trend and sending authorities scrambling to identify and help other kids at risk of committing suicide.

A 9-year-old boy hung himself by a belt from his top bunk bed last Friday, while an 11-year-old girl strangled herself with a scarf on May 4, said Capt. John McGinnis of Northeast Detectives. A 13-year-old city boy also hung himself in mid-March, Philadelphia Medical Examiner Sam P. Gulino said.

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McGinnis said police already have visited schools in his division to counsel students against suicide. But he urges parents to be vigilant.

"Suicide in my mind is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It's beyond belief that young kids would even think about it," McGinnis said. "It's up to the parents to teach the children that all problems are temporary; there's life after the problem."

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100514_Kids__9_and_11__ruled_suicides.html

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More about this sad trend at the link