The Suicide Epidemic of Teen Girls

Nearly 60% of teenage girls in the United States reported feeling sad or hopeless in 2021, marking the highest level in a decade and nearly double the rate among teenage boys.

According to the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates of reported sexual violence and suicide risk also rose among teen girls during the same year.

At least 10% of high school girls stated that they have been forced to have sex at some point, a 27% increase from the survey two years prior and the first increase since 2001 when the CDC started recording this measure.

Additionally, nearly one-third of girls reported seriously considering attempting suicide, a 60% rise since 2011.

The increase in stress and harm among teenage girls is concerning, especially as some states are restricting women’s access to reproductive services following the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision.

The CDC is closely monitoring these states to ensure that victims of sexual violence have access to the necessary services, according to Kathleen Ethier, the director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health.

The CDC, which has conducted the youth survey every two years for three decades, was “overwhelmed” by the levels of violence and trauma seen in the latest round, especially among girls and LGBTQ youth, Ethier said.

The CDC collected the responses from high school students during the fall of 2021. Although mental health worsened overall for teens during the pandemic, the differences between girls and boys were stark, according to the report.

“I don’t think that’s something that we’ve seen before,” Ethier said. “It’s just devastating to think about the young women in our lives that we know.”

Survey findings

Findings from the survey included:

• 57% of teen girls reported feeling sad or hopeless in 2021
• 30% reported considering suicide
• 18% experienced sexual violence
• 14% reported ever being forced to have sex.

More than one in five LGBTQ teens reported that they had attempted suicide during the past year, the CDC report found. The results add to other recent reports that have shown worsening rates of depression and anxiety among young LGBTQ people in the U.S. at a time when nearly one in five high school students do not identify as heterosexual.

The relative isolation brought on by COVID has had an enormous impact on youth mental health, exacerbating trends seen prior to the pandemic. Overall, more than 40% of high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless that they could not engage in their regular activities for at least two weeks during the previous year, the CDC survey found.

Younger and younger kids are feeling the effects, too. Last year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts that guides U.S. health recommendations, said that all children 8 and older should be screened for anxiety.

Next steps

Tackling the country’s growing mental health crisis has become a higher priority for both the Biden administration and Congress. Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded nearly $245 million in Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funding to support youth mental-health programs.

Others haven taken aim at what they say is the source of the crisis: social media. Last month, the Seattle city school district filed a novel lawsuit against Alphabet Inc., Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. and other tech companies alleging that social media contributes to students’ anxiety, depression and other psychological troubles. Similar claims were filed last year by families, including more than a dozen blaming tech companies for suicides. Alphabet has responded to the Seattle suit, saying that it has invested in creating safe experiences for children and prioritizes their well being.

The CDC said it’s helping schools mount more support services and educational programs aimed at teaching students about sexual consent and managing emotions. The agency works with school districts across the country to create education programs that are inclusive, culturally competent and address the wide range of needs among young students, Ethier said.

“School-based activities can make a profound difference in the lives of teens with a relatively small infusion of support,” the agency said in a statement.