From 1999 to 2020, suicide rates among adolescents in the United States have continued to rise at a steady pace, according to a new analysis looking into the dangerous trend.
Over the two decades examined in the study, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that 47,000 Americans between the ages of 10 and 19 lost their lives to suicide, with sharp increases every year.
The research team, led by Cameron Ormiston of the U.S. National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, noted that girls and minority adolescents saw the most drastic increases.
The findings, which were based on federal death certificate data from 1999 through 2020, examined race, sex, and means of suicide.
“An overall increasing trend was observed across all demographics,” the researchers wrote in the study.
According to the study, suicides involving a firearm rose 5.3% over the period examined in boys and 7.8% among girls, while deaths from substance overdose rose by 2.7% overall and 4.5% among girls, specifically.
One of the most alarming statistics showed that from 2011 to 2020, the number of suicides by overdose jumped 12.6% per year among female adolescents.
Researchers said this suggests “adolescents are finding more lethal means of poisonings, contributing to an increase in deaths by suicide.”
Even though older teen boys have traditionally had higher suicide rates than girls, the researchers shared that “recent evidence suggests these gaps may be closing as suicide rates are increasing more rapidly among female adolescents than male adolescents.”
Still, the most dramatic increases were seen among minority kids, as researchers found that from 2012 to 2020, suicide deaths using firearms jumped 14.5% per year among Black adolescents.
Similar trends were observed among American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, and Hispanic adolescents, the study noted.
“The recent, rapidly accelerating rates of firearm suicide among Black, Hispanic or Latino, and American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents are concerning,” Ormiston’s group said.
As for what’s behind the recent spike, Dr. Robert Dicker, an associate director of child and adolescent psychology for Northwell Health’s Zucker Hillside Hospital, shared with Health News that he thinks social media is playing a driving factor.
“As social media became a primary area of teenage communication, that is when there was an increase in mood disorders, depression, and suicide,” he shared.
Dicker also pointed to the increasing political polarization that has rocked American society. He says that kids have not been victimless in the trend.
“From my readings and from my work with teenagers, a lot of concern has been expressed around the future of our planet and global warming, conflicts between countries, and again, the polarization here in the United States,” Dicker said. “I think they all add to tremendous stress.”
When it comes to possible solutions, the researchers shared that education and awareness are vital, especially when it comes to things like firearm safety.
“Ensuring the parents of at-risk youth are counseled on gun safety and safe storage practices may reduce youth firearm suicide,” the researchers said.