The rate of teenage girls who committed suicide is double what it was in 2007 and the highest in 40 years for that age group, according to newly released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC analysis found that 524 females between 15 and 19 died by suicide in 2015. The rate for females is still much lower than for males. That same year, 1,537 males committed suicide. Their rate rose as well, but not as significantly.
Researchers point, in part, to teenagers’ increasing access to social media, because of the pressure it brings to fit in, and an ongoing lack of mental-health resources as reasons behind the increase.
