HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released its latest Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance report with data compiled from thousands of teens across the country from 2021.
The report found that during 2021, substance abuse among high school students declined. However, teens reported they were using more inhalants.
“The data is from 2021, so we know that that was really kind of the height of the pandemic, right? And so for many of our teenagers, they didn’t have access to drugs the way they normally would because in many states across the country, they were at home, they were maybe quarantined or isolating,” said Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, a pediatric neuropsychologist and Co-Director of Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
The report also showed a concern for worsening mental health.
It found that suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts increased among teen girls and students who identify as LGBTQ+.
Local health experts said the CDC report is consistent with what they’re seeing in local hospitals.
They believe this increase in mental health concerns stems from multiple issues that have arisen over the past few years.
“Increasing opportunities for cyberbullying. The CDC reported that we’re seeing more bullying online for our teenagers as opposed to in person. The increase in access to information, utilization of social media in those ways to anonymously bully someone,” said Katzenstein.
“Also, of course, we had the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as lots of unexpected shifts in terms of access to schooling during that time. Virtual school versus in-person school, access to friends and information in terms of the safety of things related to COVID-19, and then on top of all of that, the social and political climate. Our teenagers are telling us they’re increasingly worried about things like climate change as well as violence that they experience in their schools,” she added.
According to experts, these are warning signs your child may be struggling with their mental health:
- changes in mood or behavior
- more anxious or depressed
- withdraw from friends or other activities they’ve previously enjoyed
- more irritable
“Teenagers can be irritable but if you’re walking on eggshells worried about setting them off or some more frustrating explosive behavior, then that can be a sign of depression as well,” said Katzenstein.
“If you are seeing those concerns, great opportunity to reach out to a primary care provider, a trusted psychologist or therapist, or to our emergency center if it’s reaching a point of a crisis and you need to have an intervention," she added.
Katzenstein believes overall, the CDC’s report just highlights the need for making mental health services and interventions more accessible.
“I want to see what happens in the future with these CDC reports because I continue to see these concerns, especially with our teenagers, and I hope that we can start providing the interventions and access to care that our kids need so that these don’t become life long issues that prevent them from living to their fullest potential,” said Katzenstein.
The report detailed several other health findings. You can find the full report here.
