NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — New findings reveal the pandemic has been devastating for teens’ mental health in the U.S., especially girls. The CDC compared survey results from mid-pandemic 2021 to 2011.
Results showed teenage girls experiencing record levels of violence, sadness and suicide risk.
The survey showed that about one in three high school girls have seriously considered suicide.
The research was extensive, with over 17,000 questionnaires completed in 152 public and private schools in the U.S.
Results revealed that 57% of teenage girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. That is 60% from ten years earlier.
“It’s been devastating for a while,” said Janet Lydecker, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine who deals with teenage mental health issues through Yale Teen Power Studies.
“It’s the wake-up call that we need,” Lydecker said.
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The survey results do not surprise her after the toll the isolation of the pandemic has taken.
30% of girls in the study have seriously considered attempting suicide, which is an increase of 60% from 2011.
“Parents are actually the best resource that teens have when they’re feeling sad or when they’re thinking of self-harm or suicide. So parents should take any signs that they see seriously and get help immediately,” Lydecker said.
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Doctor Lydecker urges parents to be alert for danger signs. She said to pay attention to even slight changes in what appears to be typical teenage behavior.
“So teens who are isolating a lot, teens who have talked about suicide or have talked about feeling like things are never going to get better and any signs of self-injury,” Lyedecker said.
On a positive note, there were declines in risky sexual behavior, substance use and in-school bullying.
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