Teen girls are facing an increased risk of suicide − and stress related to sexual identity might be contributing to it [youthtoday.org]

^{Girls who identified as LGBQ consistently reported much higher rates of thinking about, planning and attempting suicide. ELZA_R/Shutterstock}

By Joseph Cimpian (New York University) and Mollie McQuillan (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Youth Today, Image: ELZA_R/Shutterstock, February 11, 2025

The alarming national rise in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among teenage girls has made headlines recently. Experts point to social media, cyberbullying and COVID-19 as potential new sources of stress for teenagers.

However, a well-known source of stress that now affects more teenagers compared with a decade ago has been overlooked in explanations for this increase – stress related to sexual identity.

As scholars focused on education policy, we conducted research showing that the increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors corresponds with a dramatic rise in the number of female high school students who identify as LGBQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning.

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