Data from “Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2021 Advisory”
- Prevalence of Mental Health Challenges: In 2019, one in three high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. This represents an overall increase of 40% from 2009.
- Suicidal Thoughts and Actions: Between 2009 and 2019, the share of high school students seriously considering attempting suicide increased by 36%, and the share creating a suicide plan increased by 44%.
- Emergency Visits and Suicide Rates: Youth psychiatric visits to emergency departments for depression, anxiety, and behavioral challenges increased by 28% between 2011 and 2015. Suicide rates among youth ages 10-24 in the US increased by 57% between 2007 and 2018.
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant increases in symptoms of anxiety and depression among youth. For instance, depressive and anxiety symptoms doubled globally during the pandemic, affecting approximately 25% of youth for depressive symptoms and 20% for anxiety symptoms.
- Disproportionate Effects: Socioeconomically disadvantaged children and adolescents are two to three times more likely to develop mental health conditions compared to their peers with higher socioeconomic status.
- Screen Time Increase During Pandemic: During the pandemic, the average screen time for activities not related to school more than doubled for teenagers, from 3.8 to 7.7 hours per day.
Data from WHO’s 2021 Report on “Mental Health of Adolescents”
- Globally, one in seven 10-19 year-olds experiences a mental disorder, representing 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group.
- Depression, anxiety, and behavioral disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
- Suicide ranks as the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds.
- Emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression significantly affect adolescents’ ability to attend school and maintain academic performance.
- Behavioral disorders like ADHD and conduct disorder are more common in younger adolescents, affecting their education and potentially leading to criminal behavior later in life.
- Eating disorders typically emerge during adolescence and young adulthood, with anorexia nervosa having a higher mortality rate than any other mental disorder.