The CDC Wants to Talk to Your Kids About Mental Health

Katie Pavlich | March 21, 2023 12:15 PM

Study after study shows young people in America are depressed in the aftermath of government decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teens were locked out of their schools, had their futures stolen through a lack of learning, missed big life events like sports championships and graduations, spent countless hours on social media during lockdowns and much more, leading to record depression and despair.

Results from a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey add to the evidence that teen mental health is in crisis, with particularly concerning numbers surrounding teen girls.
The survey found around 1 in 3 high school girls in the U.S. have seriously considered attempting suicide and more than half of teen girls, 57%, reported feeling "persistently sad or hopeless" — a record high.
By contrast, 14% of high school boys told the 2021 survey that they had seriously considered attempting suicide, up from 13% in 2011.
Among LGBQ+ students, close to 70% said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year, more than 50% had poor mental health during the past 30 days and almost 25% attempted suicide during the past year.

Now the Centers for Disease Control, the federal government agency largely responsible for inflicting lockdown pain on America's youth, is attempting to solve the crisis it created and wants to talk to kids about mental health. More specifically, the CDC wants to help kids "build strong connections with caring adults at school." Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has also jumped onboard.

More young people than ever are feeling sad or hopeless. We can work together to protect their mental health by helping them build strong connections to caring adults at school. Learn more about youth mental health and the power of connectedness: https://t.co/i9pgamnc1d
— CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (@CDC_DASH) March 15, 2023