The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds teen girls are experiencing record high levels of sadness and violence.

The report said 57% of teen girls in the U.S. said they felt "sad or hopeless" in 2021. The percentage is about twice that of boys, and represents around a 60% increase from a decade earlier. The number of teen girls experiencing sexual violence also rose 20% between 2017 and 2021.

Dr. Asha Patton-Smith, child psychiatrist for Kaiser Permanente, said the pandemic exacerbated what were already ongoing problems.

"The isolation and stress from the pandemic really took a toll on mental health," Patton-Smith observed. "This led to increased depression, increased anxiety, rise in domestic violence. And so, it really just showed that long-term impact of trauma increases depression, anxiety and other mental-health conditions."

In order to reverse the trend in individual households, Patton-Smith suggested parents need to check in often with their kids, and have open and honest conversations to ensure they feel like they belong and can share their thoughts.

She noted one misconception is if a child is isolated, moody or sullen, it's just "teenage angst." She warned if it is persistent, and teens are not doing things to take care of themselves, it could be the sign of something distressing.

Aside from the pandemic, doctors feel numerous factors have contributed to young people's mental health declines.

Dr. Christina Brown, pediatrician for Kaiser Permanente, finds the growth of social media, online games and smartphones are factors as well. She cautioned children and teens to look beyond their screens as a way to help maintain good mental health.

"Finding things that bring them joy -- getting out into the world, into nature, doing service projects -- seeing the bigger picture, not just what's right in front of them in their high school world," Brown advised.

Brown added families should not hesitate to reach out to guidance counselors, pediatricians and teachers if they have concerns about a teen's mental health.

School is back and one way parents can set their kids up for success is ensuring screen time is not getting in the way of sleep.

Dr. Maida Chen, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said there is a strong connection between sleep and mental health, and they affect each other in a circular way, which Chen pointed out screens can exacerbate.

"The screens sort of work in both directions so that if you have underlying mental health issues, screens will worsen sleep," Chen explained. "If you have sleep issues, it'll worsen sleep issues to the point of, perhaps, further triggering the development of mental health issues."

Chen noted it's not just the screens themselves affecting sleep. The content, especially on social media, can be activating. It can trigger anxiety, for instance, which makes it hard to sleep. Mental health is a major issue for youth. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 42% of high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021.

Chen believes social media heightened social isolation during the pandemic, leading to greater mental health and sleep challenges for young people. But she also emphasized adults have to model the behavior they want to see in their children.

"It makes no sense for us to be chastising our teens for being on their phones and on social media when they turn around and that is all they see the adults in their world doing," Chen contended.

To help with the issue, Chen added families do not have to change their habits all at once. She suggested having screen-free time about 30 minutes before bed, when families can instead spend time together. If media is involved, Chen advised families should watch something together.


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This is National Suicide Prevention Week, part of National Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness of the problem, and ways to prevent it. The California Parent and Youth Helpline reports a dramatic increase in calls about suicide - making up about 60% of the calls, texts and live chats received since May of last year.

Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of Parents Anonymous Inc., runs the helpline.

"In 2022, we had the highest rate of suicide ever, 49,449 deaths," she said. "So, that doesn't include the fact that 12 million adults in 2021 thought about suicide. And 3.5 million people made a plan, and 1.7 million attempted it."

She added that suicide deaths increased in 2021 and 2022, whereas they had been going down in prior years. Statistics show that 20% of children and adults in America suffer from some kind of serious mental health condition. Trained counselors are online at 'CAParentYouthHelpline.org'.

Pion-Berlin added it is crucial to take people seriously if they mention suicidal thoughts.

"It is very important if anybody mentions any thoughts they have - or a plan, or any concerns they have about suicide - that you take them seriously," she implored. "Don't brush them off."

Data show that youth of color living in rural areas are the fastest-growing category of people attempting suicide, and completing those attempts.

Recently approved legislation provides funding for barriers on the Penobscot Narrows Bridge - a scenic but unfortunate hot spot for suicide attempts. The bridge currently has posted signs and phones, which connect those in distress with a crisis clinician, but mental health advocates say it's not enough.

Greg Marley, senior clinical director of suicide prevention for the Maine chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health, said the barriers are needed to help buy time.

"Time for that crisis to pass. Time for them to reconnect to help, to hope," he said. "Time to resolve that issue."

Marley said the barriers save lives. The Memorial Bridge in Augusta was the site of 14 suicides before a fence was erected to prevent people from jumping, and there have been no suicides on the bridge since.

The Maine Department of Transportation is currently building the new barriers on its own as there are no engineering standards for bridge design that consider suicide prevention. That's something Marley said he'd like to see change so it doesn't take legislative action to ensure the bridges are safe for people considering suicide.

"It doesn't mean that the suicides by other means in that region go up," he said, "but it does stop people from focusing on that one site about how they might end their pain."

Marley said anyone who needs to connect with a crisis clinician should dial 988. He recommended that people share their concerns with their primary-care provider, a trusted friend or pastor - anyone, he said, to break the isolation of suicidal thoughts.