ER visits for suspected suicide attempts among teen girls rose during pandemic, CDC study says

There was a significant uptick in emergency room visits among teen girls for suspected suicide attempts during the pandemic, according to a study published Friday by the CDC.

The study, which relied on data from a survey of emergency departments in 49 states, found that after the first few months of the pandemic, the number of emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts began to rise among teens aged 12 to 17, driven primarily by girls in that age range.  Between July 26 and August 22 of 2020, the average weekly number of visits for girls aged 12 to 17 was 26.2% higher than it was during the same period in 2019. Between February 21 and March 20 of 2021, the average was 50.6% higher than in the same period in 2019.