During the recent pandemic, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts skyrocketed among children and adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency on mental health for children and adolescents. However, psychologists like me have been noticing deterioration in youth mental health for at least 10 years before the pandemic.
Among the many possible causes are overparenting, screen use and social media, cutthroat academic and sporting competition, political acrimony, social injustice, climate change, gun violence and virtual learning. The long-term trend of youth suicide may be disproportionately attributed to certain demographic groups, which get obscured when we lump them together as a whole.
There is a greater disadvantage for girls
It has been seen in my practice and that of my colleagues that tween girls from 10 to 14 are more likely to have problems than in the past. Historically, middle school has been considered the hardest period of schooling, especially for girls. However, recent societal and biological trends have created a perfect storm for girls in middle school.
During the pandemic, behavioral difficulties and life dissatisfaction in British girls aged 10- to 15 increased more than among their male counterparts, according to a recent study. During the same period, another study reported greater anxiety and depression in Canadian and Australian girls.
Among 12- to 17-year-old girls, the proportion experiencing one or more major depressive episodes in the past year increased from 12 percent to 25% between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The increase for boys was between 5 and 9 percent.
For girls ages 10 to 14, emergency room visits for self-harm more than doubled between 2010 and 2014, while for other demographic groups they remained relatively unchanged.
The risk factors accumulate
Studies have shown that anxiety and depression are not much different between girls and boys at first. It is estimated that girls become significantly more depressed and anxious during their middle-school years, and these differences continue into adulthood. Why are girls particularly vulnerable during this critical period?
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