A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows suicide attempts by teenagers increased sharply during the Covid-19 government lockdowns, with suicide the 2nd leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 14.
For those between the ages of 15 and 24, suicide was the third leading cause of death during that time period.
The study, “Suspected Suicide Attempts by Self-Poisoning Among Persons Aged 10–19 Years During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, 2020–2022,” found that suicide attempts using over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen and diphenhydramine increased the most among children aged 10-12 and 13-15, particularly among females.
The study reveals one of the many hidden costs of draconian pandemic policies.
Less than 2,000 Americans under the age of 18 died while testing positive for Covid-19.
In comparison, the U.S. Poison Control Center recorded 93,265 cases of suspected suicide attempts by children ages 10 to 19.
Comparing data from before the pandemic (2019) to that during the pandemic (2021-2022), the researchers found a 30% overall increase in suspected suicide attempts by self-poisoning.
The most alarming increase was seen in children aged 10 to 12, where attempts rose by 73%. In adolescents aged 13-15, the rate increased by 48.8%. Female suicide attempts increased by 38.6%, while male attempts rose by 5.6%. The study also noted a rise in admissions to psychiatric facilities.
Young people, the researchers noted, may have been particularly vulnerable to the mental health impacts of the pandemic due to factors such as physical distancing, barriers to mental health treatment, increased substance use, and anxiety about family health and economic problems.
The pandemic lockdowns has also been linked to a rise in domestic and child abuse, child sexual exploitation, alcohol consumption, and mental stress in some demographics.
