what does it mean when a small child talks about killing himself and others?

Answer 1

It means that he has overheard something he shouldn't have. Tell him to stop talking about things like that or he will be in serious trouble.

Answer 2

Very limited info -- cant really advise you unless I have some more details... like...you need to know...
1) Age and gender of the child
2) Does he watch alot of action flicks on tv, violent programs, western shootouts etc?
3) IS he from a violent home, do the parents/siblings fight alot -- physical or verbal? Does he repeat what they say? Do his schoolmates/friends/associates talk the same way?
4) Does he talk about HOW he wants to kill self/others? ie- does he have a plan? Has he ever taken a knife etc?
5) Does he say these all the time/any time/at a specific time or when there is a fight at home/ when he watches violent programs on tv?
6) If there are fights at home -- is it verbal/physical? Between whom?
7) How long has he been saying these things? Since what age?
8) Ask him WHY he wants this
9) Ask if he knows what wil happen if he kills self/others
10) Has he ever seen anyone kill -- tv/real life
11) Does he know what 'killing' means -- or death? or what happens after?

NOW--- it could very well be just the child going thru a phase where he keeps repeating certain things, not realizing the inmplications -- in which case all you have to do is ignore this behaviour as attention seeking and not give into the negative attention. Rather, practice positive reinforcement -- reward for positive ie -- when he doesnt say those things. In all probability , he will outgrow this behaviour.

If however, there is a serious problem, there are various possiblities -- a)Child abuse at home b)Violent home, Bad past experiences and post traumatic stress disorder to name a few --- which warrant psychiatric referral. Cannot possibly comment without taking a detailed history.

Answer 3

EEYOW! It probably means he saw something on TV at some point that put that idea into his head or a playmate talked about it. If he (or she) shows violent tendencies I'd be real worried. In any case, I would take him to your family doc right away and make sure they schedule a decent appointment for you so you don't feel rushed, and let the doc observe and listen and he will advise you as to the next step. I think you are right to be worried but chances are the child doesn't really GET the concept of killing or death. It may be just to get your attention since you may have shown (and I don't blame you) a big reaction. Good luck!

Answer 4

Even very young children can suffer psychological issues.
And they can discuss and understand what they mean when they say they want to die.
I was depressed as a toddler, i'm 30 now and remember suffering depression. I have had it as an adult also and regret that my parents did not pick up on the condition. They know realise why i acted the way i did.
What you NEED to do is contact a psychologist, Dr, or your local Child and mental Health Service to have a consultation and review done.
To discover the root of the issue, and have some form of cognitive therapy and self esteem boosting appiled.
Best of Luck.

Answer 5

it means that the child probably doesnt know what they are talking about. the child has been exposed to word kill. you should always watch the show first before you let your child watch it. that helps alot. some cartoons have violence. dont let your child watch the news. and expalin to your child about the value of life, wheater it is a bug or a human, they must respect it and scare your kid with the cops if you have to. if the behavior last for more than a month you should seek a professional oppion. and if your child feels that they are not getting enough attention, they will say and do things to get that attention. if you overreact to these statements, it may cause your child to keep trying to get your attention bty talking about this. be calm and remember, doctors are quick to put kids on meds they dont need. good luck and happy parenting.

Answer 6

I don't know how old your child is but I would have a talk with him & try to get to the root of the problem. Where is he getting these thoughts from? My guess is t.v. & would monitor what he is watching more carefully. Also some video games can be pretty violent,so if he has a playstation or whatever I'd check it out. Good luck.

Answer 7

has the child seen anything on tv or heard other people talking? children like to copy things theyve seen so the best thing to do is to talk to the child find out why they want to do this,if its because of the above then tell them that this is wrong and tell them why. if they cant or youu cant make sense out of them then it could be because they are upset or angry with something. children have difficulty in recognising and dealing with emotions and they may say things like this even though they dont actually understand what it means to do this. if the child is at school or nursery then talk to the teachers to find out if he is being bullied and if his behaviour has changed.

Answer 8

hard to say, how small? What other info do you have on the child, is he sad, depressed, violent?

Maybe hes repeating something he heard? Maybe it is a bad bad sign. Maybe he doesn't know exactly what he is talking about and needs to be talked to seriously on what he is saying.

More info would be needed, and talk to the parents. If you are the parent, maybe talk to a Dr.

Answer 9

It means the parents need to talk to this child and not just once.

I think I would also tell his pediatrician about this on the next visit....he/she may suggest a few visits with a child therapist.

Children have vivid imaginations but they shouldn't have ideas like this so young.

Answer 10

talk with a doctor NOW.you can start by asking the child what he means and does he understand what he is saying or did he hear it from someone else.awful strong words for a young child.how would he know what KILL means unless he heard it somewhere.WHO sees your child on a regular basses.check these things out---good luck and god bless

Answer 11

A child like that should get psychological help... Do not take it as a joke because these are the children who grow up and become murderers...