- The rate of death by suicide in people from 10-24 years old increased 57.4% over the 10 year period from 2007 to 2018, according to new data released by the CDC Friday.
- The trend signals a nationwide mental health crisis with no end in sight.
- Experts say the factors driving suicide rates are complex, but maintaining intimate friendships, cultivating hobbies outside work and school, and checking in on your people are all important mental health strategies to keep in mind, especially during the pandemic.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
The suicide rate among young Americans continues to tick upwards, signaling a nationwide mental health crisis with no end in sight.
The rate of death by suicide in people from 10 to 24 years old increased by 57.4% in the US over the 10 year period from 2007 to 2018, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday.
It's a dramatic jump from where the numbers stood in the early 2000s, remaining relatively stable until 2007.
Since then, suicide rates have been on a gradual rise almost everywhere nationwide.
The steep toll is not isolated to the US.
"Tragically, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds," World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday, on World Suicide Prevention Day, mentioning that globally, restricting access to firearms and pesticides would both help.
'There's a decrease in real intimacy'
Dr. Ziv Cohen, a psychiatrist who treats both adults and teenage patients in New York City and is also on faculty at Cornell University, said "we can only speculate" about the myriad forces driving the uptick.
"I think that many young people would agree that for young people, things have become more complicated," he said. "You have a lot of young people struggling with depression, anxiety, isolation, substance use, sexual identity, and they're not really having the access to the mental health care that they need."
In addition to only providing mental health care for a fraction of the people who need it in the US, another problem, Cohen said, is that we have so many ways to connect virtually, but very few of them allow us to be truly intimate with the people we care about, as we would if we were face to face.
"That's the paradox of our age," he said. "It's seemingly so easy to connect with people who are like-minded, and yet there's a decrease in real intimacy."
He notices signs of the rapid decline in his own practice, where many patients have started opting out of social media entirely to better manage their own mental health.
But as long as we're using the digital tools we have "to connect in a more extended way," and maintain deep contact with our friends and family, Cohen said, they can be helpful.
This is especially important for young adults, he said.
"Part of the challenge of growing up is developing your own identity and then finding a way to connect with others in a secure, stable, healthy way," he said. "That normal developmental path can be derailed if someone is just staring at their screen all day."
Suicide rates are going up significantly in almost every state
According to the report, 42 of the 50 US states had "significant" percentage increases in youth suicide death rates, over the period from 2007 to 2018.
Some of the highest increases over the decade-long period were in Oregon …
and Georgia.
New Hampshire's percentage increase in youth suicides was also staggeringly high, nearly tripling over the study period — from 13 deaths by suicide in 2000 to 37 in 2018.
Alaska, which has consistently maintained some of the highest youth suicide rates, topped the list overall in the report, with a rate of 30.2 per 100,000, the highest in the nation.
"In Alaska in 2018, suicide was the leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds," Alaska's state suicide prevention program coordinator, Leah Van Kirk, told Insider.
Van Kirk says it's a "complex issue" and risk factors can include childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, financial stress, substance use, feeling hopeless or helpless, as well as easy access to firearms.
"If life ever feels so hard that you don't know how you can go on, I encourage you to reach out for help," Tedros said.
Suicidal thoughts don't last forever, and people can feel better after getting help from trained professionals.
The free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day in English and Spanish, at 800-273-8255.
One of the best things to do for the people you care about is to be present for them, either in person, or virtually
Luis Alvarez/Getty Images
"Having a thousand friends on your Facebook account doesn't prevent you from being extremely lonely," Cohen said. "But having just one close friend that you can confide in has tremendous mental health benefits."
In the US, risks of both depression and suicide are especially high among LGBTQ young people, as well as young people of color.
"If you have a friend who is gay or transgender, or queer, or, you know, there's so many other ways of defining it, but if you have a friend who's going through that, specifically a teenager, I think it's important for community members, parents, teachers, coaches, friends, to have a heightened concern for them," Cohen added. "Their risk is so high for self-injury and suicide, and their rates of depression and anxiety are so high."
Here are some other tips to keep in mind.
Maintain hobbies that quiet your mind
One of the best ways to protect your own mental health, especially during a pandemic, is to maintain some hobbies, outside of school and work.
"When you're doing a hobby, you're in the moment, it quiets your mind," Cohen said.
Hobbies also provide satisfaction and help people develop resilience. Extracurriculars are also a way to meet and connect with like-minded people.
Cohen also recommends finding some kind of "spirituality to connect to" in a way that feels comfortable for you. It's a tip that aligns with what rigorous scientific studies generally suggest: having some form of spirituality or religion is often linked to better mental health, for both teens and adults.
"Find something that does speak to you, whether that's new age, or mindfulness meditation, or a philosophy — having some spiritual dimension that you cultivate I think is really, really helpful for mental health," he said.
Van Kirk agrees.
"In Alaska native culture, connectedness to one's culture brings healing," she said.
Cutting back on heavy drinking is a good idea too, because while it may provide some temporary relief from pain, alcohol is a depressant.
Finally, keep finding creative ways to check in with your people
The stress, isolation, anxiety, and financial stress of the pandemic are all challenging for our collective mental health.
"There's no one who's unaffected by COVID, in one shape or form," Cohen said.
Check in over the phone by being candid and straightforward.
'Hey, I just hadn't heard from you in a while, and so much is going on, I was worried about you. Are you OK?' is a fine way to start a conversation.
Telling someone you care and want to help is always a good idea.
If you think someone may be at risk for suicide, it's fine to ask in a non-judgmental way. Research shows that asking somebody if they're thinking about suicide can play an important role in getting people the help and support that they may need.
You could say, "Are you having thoughts of suicide?" or "Are you thinking about killing yourself?"
The National Council for Behavioral Health has published a Mental Health First Aid handbook that can serve as a how-to guide. The website Now Matters Now includes stories of people who've had suicidal thoughts themselves, and shares coping strategies.
"It's actually common that people have thoughts or feelings about suicide," Van Kirk said. "So it's really important that we reach out to them, asking them."
You might also try finding safe ways to get together with people you care about face to face at a distance, outdoors.
"This degree of social isolation is really unprecedented in human history, and it's a major mental health challenge," Cohen said. "Very sadly, I'm confident that we will see that it is going to correlate with suicide and drug overdose, because we certainly saw that during the great recession."
But Van Kirk says there is a powerful antidote we can all administer, by maintaining our connections to loved ones, even during this pandemic.
"In Alaska, we can go out kayaking, we can go out and pick berries, and still maintain safe social distancing," she said. "Making a concerted effort to maintain that connectedness really is a protective factor against suicidal thoughts and feelings."
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