Nearly Half of U.S. Teens Report Feeling Sad and Hopeless: What Can Be Done?

It’s never been easy to be a teenager, but today’s youth are grappling with a mental health crisis of epic proportions.

An April 2022 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences SurveyTrusted Source — shows that 44% of teens feel “persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness.”

According to previous CDC data,Trusted Source this is an increase from around 26% in 2009 and 37% in 2019.

The startling data demonstrate how a growing youth mental health crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Mental health problems in youth are associated with behavioral risks, such as drug use, experiencing violence, and higher-risk sexual behaviors,” said Kathleen Ethier, PhD, director of the Division of Adolescent and School HealthTrusted Source at the CDC, in an email to Psych Central.

“These problems can have lasting and negative effects well into adulthood.”