Teen girls say they're feeling less sadness and despair, CDC reports

With families around the country preparing to go back to school, there is promising news about teen mental health: Girls appear to be standing a little improved. 
 
More significantly, teen girls’ feelings of sadness and hopelessness have improved from last year and other surveys since shifting from 57% to 53% based on the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey. 
 
They are also likely to attempt suicide at a lower rate than other youth. Self-harm was also less common among the girls in 2023; 27% of the surveyed girls had seriously thought of killing herself, one year before, the figure was higher and stood at 30 percent. 
 
The survey data presented above can also be used to refute the statement that the given problems cannot be solved at all, which can be illustrated by the comments of Kathleen Ethier, the director of the division of adolescent and school health at CDC: 
 
A year ago, the CDC informed that teen girls were experiencing an unmatched surge of sorrow and them stressed that they can barely undertake routine tasks like studying or playing sports. 
 
New research collected from over 20,000 students across the country provides a slight positive turn regarding the mental health of young girls after years of progressive decline in their wellbeing, including after the start of the pandemic. 
 
‘It is always a plus when the number of children who said they felt persistently sad or hopeless decreases,’ noted Dr. Ellen Rome, the head of adolescent medicine at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. Although they are not so high but even today these numbers are high and should make people, leaders, and authorities think and act to help. 
 
The study reveals that female students are still experiencing more challenges than the male counter which is the case in most reports. 
 
Dr. Anisha Abraham, the Division head of adolescent and young adult medicine from Washington’s Children National, stated that regardless of that fact, “Overall, we found that half the girl students who took part in the survey reported that they still feel persistently sad or helpless. " 
 
Although (mental health) may have improved a little bit, Dr. Gary Maslow a professor of pediatrics at the Duke University said 'it’s a flip of a coin’. ” 
 
It is a sobering thought to be teaching 20 students in a high school and 10 of them are girls and half of them are carrying around thoughts of suicide he said. 
 
The findings revealing positive changes about girls were in some way counter-balanced by increased incidences of violent students in schools. The number of youths who indicated they felt threatened at school increased from 7% to 9% within the period between 2021 and 2023. And, the scale for children responding that they have felt bullied at school within the same time period increased from 15 percent to 19 percent. 
 
Experienced stress and other negative psychological effects were even higher among students who are not heterosexual. Gay and bisexual high school students indicated a higher prevalence of violence, poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and confident compared to other students the CDC said. 
 
According to available statistics, 29% of the enrolled LGBTQ students were bullied at school in 2023 and 20% of those students attempted suicide.