Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

My little brother says he wants to kill himself

A little bit of background. I’m 14, and my little brother is 7. We live with two parents, both of which are loving but usually quite stressed out by a number of things and snap fairly easily, two uncles and an aunt, all 3 of which are very loud a lot of the time but generally nice. My younger brother likes doing something called ‘music class’ with me where he blows a little shell whistle and I pretend I know how to use an old ukulele of mine. I went up to his room to start playing with him. He’d brought one of our 4 cats in there, and had him cornered behind a chair, and was making dinosaur impression roars and growls, normal for him. I asked him not too, and he just kept giggling and continuing, even throwing some blankets and pillows back there. He didn’t hurt the cat, who was escaped, and ran out the door, though I had to keep the door open and I raise my voice a little to get my brother to stop holding it closed. He got upset and started throwing the blankets on me, then started blowing the whistle close to my face, which overwhelms me and makes me nervous for several reasons, which I’ve expressed so with no change whatsoever. I asked him to stop and he didn’t and I grew frustrated, so he said he was going to cancel music class forever. I explained that my frustration was simply due to his treatment of our cat as well as me, so he laid on his back, and looking me right in the eye, pinched his throat so he couldn’t breathe. I of course panicked a bit, pulled his hand away and told him not to choke himself. He explained it was because he thought “I didn’t love/trust” him and that because of that he should “just kill himself”. This terrified me, and i guess it showed when I asked him to please not do that, and that I loved him and he started crying instantly. I comforted him best I could, and after a minute or so he said it was because he had a tooth coming in, but more concerningly, he said he was having really bad old memories/thoughts. I asked him what he meant by that and he said it was stuff like ‘really bad stuff’ and ‘his really good friends dying’. Eventually things calmed down. I mentioned that he might want to let mom or dad know, since they might know how to help and he didn’t specify if he would, and I didn’t press him to, but I was worried it might be something related to memories of a past life. He’s hit himself before, and he mentioned that he wanted to die once or twice before and it worried me but nothing like this. I’m terrified because I don’t know how to explain to my parents without them breaking down, not to mention they often appear angry when scared and my little brother is incredibly sensitive to even the slightest raise of voice and change of tone, and even if he did get to the stage of us all being aware of him needing help, it’s a global pandemic and though my town has hardly been affected at all, it may be hard to get the help he needs. I’m just so scared, and I’m not sure what to do (If you find this, please inform me of how to tag these)
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
3191940 tn?1447268717
You are not in a position to handle this situation yourself.  It is your parents' JOB to parent their son, your brother.  You need to bring this situation to the attention of your parents, no matter how upset it may make them feel.

If, at any time, you feel that your brother's life is in immediate danger, you should call your local emergency number.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Child Behavior Community

Top Children's Health Answerers
189897 tn?1441126518
San Pedro, CA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
We answer your top questions about the flu vaccine.
Learn which over-the-counter medicines are safe for you and your baby
Yummy eats that will keep your child healthy and happy
Healing home remedies for common ailments