PORT ST. LUCIE (CBS4) ―
Click to enlarge- Celine Okwuonestanne.org
Police say Celina Okwuone hung herself in her closet Thursday night. The 5th grader was found by her parents.
Police say she used a belt to wrap around her neck and she had wrapped the belt around the metal shelving. Her father tried to lift her up and her mother tore the shelving from the wall.
Soon after, her parents found her diary where she had written that she was being bullied at her school.
She attended St. Anastasia Catholic School in Fort Pierce, which issued this statement Friday:
The Diocese of Palm Beach is saddened to learn of the untimely death of one of our students from St. Anastasia School in Ft. Pierce. We grieve with the school community of St. Anastasia and ask for prayers for the student's family as well as the school community. Administration at St. Anastasia is currently in the process of notifying school parents about this devastating loss, and members of the Diocese of Palm Beach Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team are available at the school to minister support to the students, teachers, administrators, and parents who are coping with news of this tragic loss of life.
Bullying related suicides have become more and more common. As a parent, there are ways to help. If an adult suspects a child is having suicidal thoughts or behaviors as a way of escaping bullying and other problems, here are some suggestions:
- Notify school personnel if bullying is identified.
- Seek an evaluation from a professional. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are often linked to depression, which can be treated.
- Listen to the child.
- Help the child understand these feelings and thoughts are temporary and there are solutions.
- Brainstorm on how the child can react to bullying.
- If suicidal urges/behaviors are serious, take the child to the emergency room, don't leave him or her alone, and keep firearms, drugs and sharp objects away from the child.
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