The alarm was raised byi American health authorities after the publication of very disturbing information about her mental health of high school students – especially girls– in a report showing that 22% of teenagers thought about suicide.

Almost three out of five female high school students (57% rate) were feeling sadness or despair in 2021 daily for a period of at least two weeks, to the extent that they interrupted their usual activities, according to the report of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) that documents how the psychological state of teenagers has evolved over the past decade. This rate is double compared to that of boys and is also a record for a decade. In 2011, only 36% of girls reported feeling sad or depressed for an extended period of time.

One in three girls (30%) have seriously considered ending their life. This percentage amounts to 14% for boys and 22% for all teenagers in this age group (15-18 years). In 2011 for girls this percentage was 19%.

One in five girls (18%) experienced sexual violence and over one in ten (14%) had a forced sexual relationship.

These data come from a questionnaire that high school students in the US are asked to fill out every two years. “They show that our teenagers need more support to succeed, hope and flourish,” CDC official Debra Heury said in a statement. “Prevention programs in schools have shown that we can throw a vital lifeline into these rising waves of trauma,” he added.

According to the report, almost 70% of LGBTI+ students experienced an ongoing feeling of sadness or despair in 2021 and more than one in five (22%) attempted suicide.

The most recent data was collected in the fall of 2021, after most schools that had been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic had reopened. Other studies have also shown the devastating effects of the pandemic on the mental health of teenagers, but the CDC research highlights that this trend had started before the emergence of the new coronavirus.