‘Youth are in crisis’: Mental health of US high school students worsened due to COVID-19
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Mental health concerns have risen for people all over the world. According to survey results that were published today by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high school students in the United States were among the highest risk of groups affected.
There have been significant increases in high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, considering suicide or attempting suicide over the past decade – and findings from the new CDC survey suggest youth mental health was even worse during the pandemic.
Overall, more than a third (37%) of high school students in the United States experienced poor mental health at least most of the time during the Covid-19 pandemic, the CDC survey found.
More than two out of five students (44%) had felt persistent sadness or hopelessness that caused them to stop doing some usual activities. About one in five seriously considered suicide, and about one in 10 students had attempted suicide.
Poor mental health was most prevalent among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth, as well as female high school students, the CDC survey found.
“Youth are in crisis,” Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s division of adolescent and school health, said during a media briefing.
“This data and others like it show us that young people and their families have been under incredible levels of stress during the pandemic. Our data exposes cracks and uncovers an important layer of insight into the extreme disruptions that some youth have encountered during the pandemic.”
