Overdose Suicide Attempts Increasing Among U.S. Children and Teenagers

Posted: September 20, 2022 by drmoea

(HealthDay News) — A growing number of U.S. kids are attempting suicide by medication overdose — with the biggest increase seen among preteens, a recent study shows.

Researchers found that between 2015 and 2020, there was a 27% increase in overdose suicide or attempted suicide among U.S. children and teenagers. While teens accounted for most of those incidents, it was 10- to 12-year-olds who showed the biggest spike over time — with cases more than doubling.

The findings come at a time of growing concern over U.S. kids’ mental well-being. Recent government studies have pointed to a grim fact: The pandemic has worsened mental health issues that pre-dated it, including rising rates of depression, anxiety and behavioral problems among school-age kids.

A survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than one-third of high school students said they’d suffered poor mental health during the pandemic. Most worrisome of all, nearly 20% said they’d seriously considered suicide, while 9% had attempted it.