Increasing the dialogue among stakeholders in New Jersey’s special education system

Snapshot: U.S. Mental Health and Youth

Dec 20, 2021 | Snapshot

  1. From 2009 to 2019, the proportion of high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40 percent.
  2. In that same time, the proportion of students who are ‘seriously considering attempting suicide’ has increased by 36 percent.
  3. In that same time, the proportion of students who are ‘creating a suicide plan’ has increased by 44 percent.
  4. Between 2011 and 2015, youth psychiatric visits to emergency departments for depression, anxiety, and behavioral challenges increased by 28 percent.
  5. Between 2007 and 2018, suicide rates among youth ages 10-24 in the US increased by 57 percent.

(Source: U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 2021)