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Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/teen-suicides-increased-many-states-pandemic-rcna25825
Adolescents accounted for larger share of suicides in many states in 2020
Medical groups and health experts are increasingly sounding the alarm about child and teen mental health.
April 25, 2022, 10:16 PM UTC
By Aria Bendix
Adolescents accounted for a larger share of suicides across 14 states in 2020 than they did over the previous five years, according to research published Monday.
The findings were described in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics, as medical groups and health experts increasingly sound the alarm about the soaring mental health challenges of young people.
In October, three prominent children's health organizations declared that child and adolescent mental health had become a national emergency. The announcement followed a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracked emergency room visits from suspected suicide attempts before and during the pandemic. The results showed that in February and March 2021, those visits were 50 percent higher among girls ages 12 to 17 than during the same period in 2019.
For the new study, a team of Boston-based researchers compared the number of suicides among children and teenagers ages 10 to 19 in 2020 to the average from 2015 to 2019. They then analyzed the totals in relation to suicides across all age groups. The results showed that adolescents accounted for a larger share of all suicides in 2020 — 6.5 percent — than they did during the five previous years, 5.9 percent.
There were significant variations among the 14 states, however. In 2020, adolescents accounted for a larger proportion of all suicides in California, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Virginia than they had previously. But the share dropped in Montana and Alaska, while Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, Ohio and Vermont did not have statistically significant increases or decreases...
Adolescents accounted for larger share of suicides in many states in 2020
Medical groups and health experts are increasingly sounding the alarm about child and teen mental health.
April 25, 2022, 10:16 PM UTC
By Aria Bendix
Adolescents accounted for a larger share of suicides across 14 states in 2020 than they did over the previous five years, according to research published Monday.
The findings were described in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics, as medical groups and health experts increasingly sound the alarm about the soaring mental health challenges of young people.
In October, three prominent children's health organizations declared that child and adolescent mental health had become a national emergency. The announcement followed a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracked emergency room visits from suspected suicide attempts before and during the pandemic. The results showed that in February and March 2021, those visits were 50 percent higher among girls ages 12 to 17 than during the same period in 2019.
For the new study, a team of Boston-based researchers compared the number of suicides among children and teenagers ages 10 to 19 in 2020 to the average from 2015 to 2019. They then analyzed the totals in relation to suicides across all age groups. The results showed that adolescents accounted for a larger share of all suicides in 2020 — 6.5 percent — than they did during the five previous years, 5.9 percent.
There were significant variations among the 14 states, however. In 2020, adolescents accounted for a larger proportion of all suicides in California, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Virginia than they had previously. But the share dropped in Montana and Alaska, while Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, Ohio and Vermont did not have statistically significant increases or decreases...
