14-year-old girl commits suicide after being bullied, a disturbing trend in America

　　China News Service, February 14 (Xinhua) According to US media reports, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on the 13th that among young girls in the United States, sexual assault and other traumatic experiences have led to unprecedented levels of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts.

　　"Our teenage girls are experiencing the brunt of violence and trauma, and it's affecting their mental health," said Ethel, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health, according to NBC News.

　　The CDC's 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed a startling trend: 57 percent of teenage girls said they felt "persistent sadness or hopelessness," the highest percentage in a decade.

Thirty percent said they had seriously considered suicide, an increase of nearly 60 percent over the past 10 years.

　　"These numbers are unprecedented," Essel said.

　　The survey has been conducted every two years for the past 30 years, and a total of 17,232 American high school students participated.

　　Overall, more than 40 percent of boys and girls said they had felt so sad or hopeless in the past year that they were unable to participate in regular school activities for at least two weeks.

When the researchers looked at gender differences, girls were more likely than boys to report this feeling.

　　Indeed, a sharp rise in violence — especially against girls — was a stark finding in the CDC report.

　　Couch, a 14-year-old girl, was bullied by classmates in the hallway of a New Jersey high school this month.

Couch's father said video of the incident was posted online by the bully just to "make fun of" her.

A few days later, Kutcher committed suicide, an incident that attracted national attention.

　　Sexual violence has also increased among girls, with one in five girls saying they experienced it in the past year, the CDC said.

14% said they had been forced to have sex.

That's up from 11 percent in 2019.

　　The survey did not ask students why they felt sad or wanted to hurt themselves.

While both anxiety and depression among teens have increased during the pandemic, the trend has been building over the years, especially among girls.

　　The CDC report calls for more programs in schools, such as sex education, to address the ongoing mental health crisis.