Teen suicide and depression rates amid the pandemic are as alarming as deaths from COVID-19, but few mental health resources are available to address this shadow pandemic, especially within communities of color.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Asian American children between the ages of 15 and 24. Black children between the ages of 5 and 12 are twice as likely to die by suicide as White children of the same age. Amid the pandemic, 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered or attempted suicide, including more than half of transgender and non-binary youth. Children as young as 8 have attempted suicide.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on December 7, 2021, highlighting the need to address the youth mental health crisis. Early estimates in 2020 show 6,600 youth suicide deaths in 2020, a 57 percent jump over the previous decade. 40 percent of children ages 10-24 expressed feelings of sadness and hopelessness. The Surgeon General noted that disabled, low-income, and homeless youth, along with minorities and LGBTQ youth had suffered from greater rates of depression.
Many youth may want to access mental health services, but they have to struggle with their parents for parents, who may not understand the importance of counseling and mental health for their well-being.
Read more at LAFocusNewspaper.com.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.