New research shows that the suicide rate among primary school-aged children has nearly doubled over the past two decades.
Researchers examined the death certificates of American preteens, ages eight to 12, from January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2022.
They found that the rate rose from about 3.3 per 1 million deaths in 2001 to more than nine per 1 million in 2021, an increase of more than 170 percent.
Research suggests that a prolonged, worsening mental health crisis among young people is leading to an increase in suicides. The crisis has resulted in record high rates of hopelessness, depression and anxiety.
Using existing data from death certificates, researchers found that the suicide rate per million people has increased by 1.7 per million over the past two decades.
Researchers haven’t explicitly said why suicide rates among children are rising, but it coincides with a worsening mental health crisis among young people.
The overall suicide rate is still low. A total of 2,241 pre-teens died by suicide from 2001 to 2022.
About 68 percent of them were boys between the ages of eight and twelve.
Still, it means that suicide is now the fifth most common way for an eight to 12 year old to die, up from not even in the top 10 in 2001.
According to the latest research, hanging or suffocation were the most common methods of suicide over the past two decades. However, the greatest increase in suicides among pre-teens occurred using a firearm.
According to the researchers, this study provides a foundation for future research into unique factors associated with suicide among preteens.
Their findings were published in the journal JAMA Network Opened.
Figures show that the percentage of people considering or attempting suicide is higher than ever.
Sixteen percent of young people considered suicide in 2011. That rose to 22 percent in 2021. And in 2011, eight percent attempted suicide. In 2021, ten percent attempted suicide.
Black preteens had the highest suicide rates in both periods, while the largest percentage increase was seen among Hispanic preteens.
According to the researchers, there is a need for a better understanding of suicide risk among different racial and ethnic groups, including people of different races, who are the fastest-growing racial group in the US.
While researchers offer no explanation, government studies show the mental health crisis has been steadily increasing over the past two decades.
The sharpest rise in suicides occurred during the Covid pandemic, when millions of people were forced to give up social activities and time with friends, faced disruptions to mental health services and were confined to their homes.
At the same time, federal researchers said in an earlier report: “As we saw in the 10 years before the COVID-19 pandemic, college students’ mental health continues to deteriorate overall.”
Medical and academic experts claim that various aspects of modern life are causing young people to suffer from mental health problems.
An increasingly sedentary population with poor eating habits fuels feelings of depression and inadequacy. Research has shown that children who play sports are one-fifth less likely to be depressed compared to children who are not. Being active is also linked to lower rates of anxiety.
Poor sleep quality also harms people’s mental health. Sleep research suggests that a teenager needs between eight and ten hours of sleep each night, but most teenagers only get about 6.5-7.5 hours of sleep per night.
Children are also more connected to screens and social media than ever before. Government researchers have found that children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
When asked about the impact of social media on their body image, 46 percent of adolescents aged 13 to 17 said that social media makes them feel worse.
