On May 12, 2023, the CDC released new data indicating an improvement in the teen mental health crisis. Mental health emergency room visits for teens have decreased year-over-year from 2021-2022. The report’s authors also revealed that weekly emergency department visits have dropped by 11% as of fall 2022.
The CDC suggested that there may be several reasons for the improvements in teen mental health, including adolescents returning to pre-pandemic-like school and community environments that improve social participation and reduce isolation. The decrease in stressors such as family and other factors also may contribute to fewer adverse childhood experiences that are strongly associated with adolescent mental and behavioral health.
Previously, the focus was on teenage girls, and another report showed that 57% of girls reported feeling “much sadder or hopeless,” and 30% reported serious thoughts of suicide. However, this new report consolidates data on all mental health emergencies and indicates a decrease in total visitor numbers from 2019 for girls. However, certain types of mental health emergencies remain high, such as drug overdose, suicidal behavior, suspected suicide attempts, and eating disorders.
The authors of the report also cautioned against the continued increase in opioid-related overdoses, which are expected to increase by 10% for teenage girls and 41% for boys from the fall of 2021 to 2022.
The data used in the report are based on medical records submitted by approximately 75% of all emergency departments in the United States. If you know someone who needs help, call 9-8-8 and ask for help from the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is free, confidential, and available 24/7. You can also choose the chat feature by visiting 988lifeline.org.