FILE IMAGE - A freshman student unlocks her locker at a high school near Fort Collins, Colorado, on Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - New federal data shared by U.S.
health officials details "record-high levels" of violence, sadness, and suicide risk among American teenage girls and those in the LGBTQ+ community, calling schools a "vital lifeline" to help struggling young people.Data shared Monday by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that nearly 3 in 5 U.S. teen girls — or 57% — felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021.
The figure represents double that of boys in the same age group and the highest level reported over the past decade, according to the agency."While all teens reported increasing mental health challenges, experiences of violence, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, girls fared worse than boys across nearly all measures," the agency said in a statement.RELATED: Binge eating disorder looks different in the brains of boys and girls, study findsOverall, officials found that mental health among teens continued to worsen, with more than 40% of high school students feeling so sad or hopeless that they could not engage in their regular activities for at least two weeks.Among teen students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning, 52% had recently experienced poor mental health, and more than 1 in 5 (22%) had attempted suicide in the past year. "High school should be a time for trailblazing, not trauma.