Newly released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report a rise in suicide attempts and hospitalizations from poor mental health among teenagers in 2020.

Overall, the number of psychiatric hospital visits among young people increased 31 percent last year. For young women, this number was far more grievous. Suspected suicide attempts in girls increased 50.6 percent, compared to a 3.7 percent increase in young men.

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As the report concludes, the implications of lockdowns, such as “physical distancing; barriers to mental health treatment; increases in substance use; and anxiety about family health and economic problems” all particularly affected children, contributing to a widespread increase in suicidal thoughts.

A recent Wall Street Journal article completes the picture painted by the CDC by revealing that in California, teenage suicide increased 24 percent, leading to 134 deaths in 2020. In contrast, only 23 California minors died of COVID-19.

Specifically, in Oakland, hospitals saw a 66 percent increase in teenagers screening positive for suicidal ideation between March and October 2020.

In light of these alarming numbers, California public-health officials are finally beginning to speak out about this issue.

For more than a year, while mental illness and suicides skyrocketed, these same politicians and health experts continuously disregarded valid concerns over the dire implications of lockdowns.

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It’s clear that though they weren’t generally at risk for COVID-19, young people were a high suicide risk group, and the government failed to pay attention.

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