The suicide rate among members of Generation Z, those born after the mid-1990s, has reached at an alarming level, according to a new study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A joint study conducted by Harvard Medical School and Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University found that people ages 15 to 19, especially males, are increasingly attempting suicide. The suicide rate increased in 2017 to its highest point since 2000.
The researchers searched the Centers for Disease Control Underlying Cause of Death database, a national data set based on death certificates and population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, to collect their data.
A total of 6,241 suicides occurred in individuals ages 15 to 24 years in 2017, out of which 5,016 were male and 1,225 were female, according to Centers for Disease Control data. The suicide rate in 2017 was 27.1 per 100, 000 in males and 6.2 per 100, 000 in females. The rate in 2000 was 12.5 per 100, 000.
In the 15 to 19 age range, the suicide rate was 11.8 per 100, 000 in 2017 in comparison to 8 per 100 ,000 in 2000.
A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that 70 percent of U.S. teens, ages 13 to 17, believe that anxiety and depression are major problems among people their age in the communities where they live.
61 percent of students cited getting good grades as a major cause of pressure. Another 29 percent felt pressure to look good, 28 percent to fit in socially, and 21 percent see being good at sports as a cause of pressure.
Following mental health issues, for nearly 55 percent of teens, bullying is a major problem among their peers. 33 percent of those surveyed called gangs a major problem.
A similar report, released by the American Psychological Association in 2018, found that 91 percent of Generation Z adults claim to have experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety, associated with stress.