Youth Mental Health

ChildrenHealth
Written By Alysha Rashid

Nearly 1 in 2 LGBQ+ students and 1 in 3 female students in U.S. high schools reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide.

Mental health among U.S. high school students, by sex and sexual identity

Fall 2021

Source: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Notes: Because the 2021 national YRBS did not have a question assessing gender identity, data specifically on students who identify as transgender is not available. Survey questions on mental health and suicidality were worded as “During the past 12 months, did you….”

The youth mental health crisis surged prior to the pandemic, and recent studies show that it has heightened since.1,2 From 2011–2021, the share of high school students that experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, seriously considered suicide, or attempted suicide increased by 50%, 38%, and 25%, respectively.3 While reports of worsening mental health and suicidality were higher among all teens, female and LGBQ+ students fared worst according to Fall 2021 data. The share of female students that experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and either seriously considered or attempted suicide, was twice the share of male students. Almost half of LGBQ+ students seriously considered attempting suicide and 22% attempted suicide — rates 3 to 4 times higher than that of heterosexual students.

Social pressures, limited school resources, anti-LGBTQ legislation, and gun-related incidents are among the many challenges today’s youth face.4,5,6 In April 2022, 70% of public schools reported an increase in the number of students requesting mental health support since the pandemic, but only 12% felt that their schools were adequately able to provide services to all students in need.7 Over 300 bills that target LGBTQ youth and their right to healthcare and/or the ability to express themselves in school have been introduced across the nation, with many advancing to hearings and floor debates (Anti-LGBTQ Laws).8 Firearms are now the leading cause of death for U.S. children, with homicides making up 60% of gun deaths among children overall (Gun deaths among children).

  1. “Second Year of Pandemic Saw Spike in Child Mental Health Visits to ED”. Miller. Harvard Medical School. July, 2023. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/second-year-pandemic-saw-spike-child-mental-health-visits-ed

  2. “State Suicide Rates Among Adolescents and Young Adults Aged 10-24: United States, 2000-2018”. Curtin. National Vital Statistics Reports. September, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/nvsr-69-11-508.pdf

  3. “Youth Risk Behavior Survey”. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf 

  4. “COVID-19 stressors and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a community sample of children and adolescents”. Watson, Coiro, Ciriegio, Dakkak, Jones, Reisman, Kujawa, and Compas. ACAMH. September, 2022. https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/camh.12598

  5. “Impact of Current Events”. The Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/#impact-of-current-events  

  6. “The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Adolescents”. Panchal. KFF. October, 2022. https://www.kff.org/other/issue-brief/the-impact-of-gun-violence-on-children-and-adolescents/

  7. “Report on the Condition of Education 2023”. Irwin. Institute of Education Sciences. May, 2023. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2023/2023144.pdf

  8. “Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures”. ACLU. April, 2023. https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights?impact=

Alysha Rashid
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