Surging Suicide Rate Among Young Girls Raises Questions About Role of Social Media
Researchers are investigating the troubling spike as close personal relationships increasingly move online.
The "gender paradox" in suicide—wherein males typically die by suicide at a rate higher than females, who report suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide more often—appears to be closing.
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A troubling spike in the suicide rate among young girls is prompting leading researchers to ask questions about the role of social media in adolescent mental health.
A study published Friday in the JAMA Open Network led by Donna Ruch, a research scientist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, analyzed suicide trends in 10- to 19-year-olds between 1975 and 2016. The rate of suicide decreased from the early 1990s until 2007, but has increased in years since for both genders. While boys die by suicide at a higher overall rate than girls, female youth suicides have surged most in recent years. In the 10- to 14-year-old age group, the rate of suicide increased 12.7 percent for girls and 7.1 percent for boys since 2007.
The data show the gap known as the “gender paradox” in suicide—wherein males typically die by suicide at a rate higher than females, while females report suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide at higher rates than males— appears to be closing.
“We really wanted to look at this and say ‘Hey wait a minute, is this just a phenomenon, is it an occurrence, is it a blip or are we seeing a trend?’” Ruch said. Her paper concludes the gap is narrowing most among those 10- to 14-year-olds. “We want to look at treatments, look at interventions and really take into account the unique needs of girls versus boys.”