CDC Reports 51% Increase in Suicide Attempts Among Teenage Girls

Newly released data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal a surge in self harm and hospitalizations from poor mental health among teens in 2020.

By Brett Cooper in FEE. Excerpts:

"Newly released data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal a surge in self harm and hospitalizations from poor mental health among teens in 2020.

Overall, the number of psychiatric-related hospital visits among young people increased 31 percent last year."

"Suspected suicide attempts in girls increased 50.6 percent, compared to a 3.7 percent increase in young men.

As the report concludes, the implications of lockdowns, such as “physical distancing; barriers to mental health treatment; increases in substance use; and anxiety about family health and economic problems” all particularly affected children, contributing to a widespread increase in suicidal thoughts.

A recent Wall Street Journal article completes the picture painted by the CDC by revealing that in California, teenage sucide increased 24 percent, leading to 134 deaths in 2020. In contrast, only 23 California minors died of Covid-19.

Specifically in Oakland, California, hospitals saw a 66 percent increase in teenagers screening positive for suicidal ideation between March and October of 2020."

"Back in April of 2020, JAMA Psychiatry published a report on the possible consequences of quarantine orders, stating that while they might help quell new infections, “the potential for adverse outcomes on suicide risk is high.”"