Katharina Buczek
Last Thursday, the CDC released the results of their first nationally representative survey of high school students, and it’s alarming.
“These data echos a cry for help,” said Debra Houry, the CDC Acting Principal Deputy Director.
It has been known that the COVID-19 pandemic battered the mental health of people around the globe.
However, the newly released high school student survey data points toward a mental health epidemic among young people.
According to the report, “more than thirty-seven percent of high school students reported that they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Additionally, forty-four percent of students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless throughout the past year.
The home lives of young adults were also gauged through this survey, and the results reveal tumultuous living circumstances among more than half of U.S. high school students.
“Fifty-five percent reported that they experience emotional abuse by a parent or other adult in the home, including swearing at, insulting, or putting down the student,” the report said.
Moreover, students who identify as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community reported greater mental health struggles. Female youths’ mental health also suffered more than their male counterparts.
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