CDC Says Most Teen Girls Felt Sad or Hopeless in 2021, 30% Considered Suicide

American teenagers’ mental health continued to decline in 2021, a CDC report said — especially among girls and LGBQ+ teens. 

The Details: The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey is conducted every two years; the latest report, released Monday, includes new data from 2021. The survey found that 57% of female high school students and 29% of male students reported experiencing “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” sometime in the last year; in 2011, those rates were 36% for girls and 21% for boys. Additionally, 30% of female students and 14% of male students had “seriously considered attempting suicide” in the past year; in 2011, those rates were 19% for girls and 13% for boys. Rates of sadness and considering suicide were both about 30 points higher among LGBQ+ students. In 2021, 13% of female students and 7% of male students reported attempting suicide in the past year.

For Context: U.S. teens’ mental health crisis is well-known, and many of the report’s metrics worsened since 2011. The report also discussed rates of substance abuse and sexual violence among teens. It did not collect data specifically on transgender teens.

How the Media Covered It: Headlines frequently included sensational language and sometimes gave the impression that the CDC data was from this year, not 2021. Coverage often including the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988) or tips from experts on how to help struggling teens. While the youth report noted increases across races, some outlets on the left and center covered an earlier CDC analysis noting racial disparities in suicide rates for all ages.