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Teen girls in the U.S. are “engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma,” according to a report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that found alarming increases in rates of rape, depression, suicidality, and cyberbullying among adolescents.1 “The numbers are unprecedented,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. “Our young people are in crisis.”
The CDC report echoes findings from a 2022 ADDitude survey of 1,187 caregivers, which found that an astounding 75% of adolescent girls with ADHD also have anxiety, 54% suffer from depression, more than 14% have a sleep disorder, and nearly 12% report an eating disorder — more than three times the national average for neurotypical women.
The CDC report, based on the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey, included a nationally representative sample of students in public and private high schools, and it found that adolescent health risks have ballooned to levels never seen before—especially for girls. Its findings include the following:
- Nearly 60% of teen girls reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness during the past year, double the rate reported 10 years ago, and twice the rate in boys. For LGBTQ+ teens, this number jumped to a startling 70%.
- 1 in 3 of girls seriously considered attempting suicide during the past year, up nearly 60% from a decade ago.
- At least 1 in 10 girls attempted suicide in the past year. Among LGBTQ+ youth, the number was more than 1 in 5.
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