Mental Health and Suicide Statistics

Mental health challenges are a growing concern for teens and young adults. Suicide rates among young people have also increased over the past decade. Below, find up-to-date statistics about these issues and the populations most at risk.

This page was last updated December 2025.

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Mental Health Statistics

  • 11.6 million people (or 33%) ages 18-25 experienced a mental, behavioral, or emotional health issue in the past year. This rate shows no change since 2021 (SAMHSA, 2025). 
  • 15.4% of teens ages 12-17 had a major depressive episode in the past year (SAMHSA, 2025).
  • 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year. The percentage of students reporting these feelings varied by group (CDC, 2024):
    • 53% of female and 28% of male individuals
    • 65% of LGBTQ+ and 31% of cisgender and heterosexual individuals
    • Percentages by race and ethnicity:
      • 45% non-Hispanic  American Indian or Alaska Native
      • 42% Hispanic
      • 41% non-Hispanic multiracial
      • 40% non-Hispanic Black
      • 39% non-Hispanic white
      • 32% non-Hispanic Asian
      • 26% non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 
  • 38% of college students ages 18 and older have ever been diagnosed with anxiety, and 32% have been diagnosed with depression (Healthy Minds Study, 2025).
    • 37% of students reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms, with 18% of that group reporting severe depression. 
    • 33% of students self-reported any anxiety.
  •  66% of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults ages 13-24 reported experiencing recent symptoms of anxiety, and 53% reported symptoms of depression (Nath et al., 2024).
  • Between 2021-2023, 19.7% of adolescents and teens ages 12-17 reported symptoms of anxiety, and 17.8% reported symptoms of depression during the past two weeks (NCHS, 2026).

Rates of Suicide, Suicide Attempts, and Suicidal Thoughts

  • Suicide was the second-leading cause of death for children, teens, and young adults, ages 10-34 (CDC, 2026).
  • Suicide rates in the United States are highest in the west (15.3 deaths per 100,000) and lowest in middle Atlantic states (10.5 deaths per 100,000) (NCSP, 2026).
  • Suicide rates are higher in more rural areas. The rate of suicide among teens ages 15-19 living in rural areas is 13.0 per 100,000, compared to 8.8 in urban areas (CDC WISQARS, accessed 2026).   
  • See this page for additional analyses related to suicide rates between 2021 and 2024.

Thoughts of suicide:

  • 12.6% of young adults ages 18-25 had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year (SAMHSA, 2025).
  • 11% of college students ages 18 and older had thoughts of suicide in the past year (Healthy Minds Study, 2025).
  • 20.4% of high school students reported having seriously considered suicide in the past year. The percentage of students who reported having seriously considering suicide varied by group (Verlenden et al., 2024): 
    • 27.1% of female and 14.1% of male individuals
    • 41.0% of LGBTQ+ and 13.0% of cisgender and heterosexual individuals
    • 24.5% of American Indian or Alaska Native, 22.1% white, 21.6% multiracial, 19.6% Black or African American, 18.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 14.4% of Asian individuals
  • 10.1% of adolescents ages 12-17 had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year (NSDUH, 2025). 
  • LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-24 living in rural vs non-rural areas are more likely to have considered suicide (43% vs. 38%)  (The Trevor Project, 2025)(Nath et al., 2024).

Suicide attempts:

  • 9.5% of high school students attempted suicide in the past year. The percentage of students who reported a suicide attempt varied by group (Verlenden et al, 2024):
    • 12.6% of female and 6.4% male individuals
    • 19.7% of LGBQ+ and 6.0% of heterosexual individuals
    • 15.3% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander and 11.5% American Indian or Alaska Native, 11.4% multiracial, 10.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Black or African American, 8.3% white, and 8.0% of Asian individuals
  • 2.7% of adolescents ages 12-17 attempted suicide in the past year (SAMHSA, 2025).
  • Teen girls ages 15-19 were approximately 2.5 times more likely than boys to attempt suicide resulting in an emergency department visit (CDC WISQARS, accessed 2026); but teen boys ages 15-19 were approximately 2.5 times more likely than girls to die by suicide (CDC Wonder, accessed 2026 )
  • 39% of all LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-24 seriously considered attempting suicide and 12% attempted suicide in the past year (Nath et al., 2024).
Graphic of a person holding their head

Rates of Substance Use Disorder and Drug Use Disorder

  • The percentage of people who used any substance in the past month was highest among young adults ages 18-25 (47.6%), followed by adults ages 26 or older (41.1%), and by adolescents and teens ages 12-17 (11.5%) (SAMHSA, 2026).
    • Young adults ages 18-25 had the highest rate of substance use disorder (25.9%), alcohol use disorder (14.4%), and drug use disorder (17.8%) than any other age group (SAMHSA, 2025). 
    • Any past year substance use disorder declined from 9.2% in 2021 to 7.8% in 2024 among adolescents and teens ages 12-17 (SAMHSA, 2025).
  • Among adolescents and teens ages 12-17, females were more likely than males (5.9% vs. 4.2%) to have used multiple substances in the past month (SAMHSA, 2026) 
  • Percentages of young adults ages 18-25 who used multiple substances in the past month did not differ significantly by sex (SAMHSA, 2026).
  • In 2024, 40.3% of adolescents and teens ages 12-17 who used multiple substances in the past month had a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year, 34.2% had moderate or severe anxiety disorder,  and 36.2% had serious thoughts of suicide (SAMHSA, 2026). 
  • Alcohol use among high school students differed across age groups (YRBS, 2024):
    • Alcohol: 22% of students reported drinking alcohol within the past 30 days.
      • Female students (24%) were more likely to drink alcohol than male students (20%). 
      • White students (26%) were most likely to report drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. Asian (12%) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (12%) students were least likely to report drinking in the past 30 days.
      • LGBTQ students (26%) were more likely to drink alcohol compared to cisgender and heterosexual students (21%). 
    • Marijuana: 17% of high school students reported using marijuana during the past 30 days.  
      • Female students (19%) were more likely to use marijuana than male students (15%). 
      • Asian students (7%) were least likely to use marijuana.
      • LGBTQ students (25%) were more likely use marijuana use than any other demographic group.
    • Illicit Drugs: 10% of high school students reported ever using certain illicit drugs (including cocaine, inhalants, heroin, methamphetamines, hallucinogens, or ecstasy).  
      • Black students (7%) were less likely than American Indian or Alaska Native (18%), white (11%), and multiracial (11%) students to have ever used illicit drugs.

 

*Suicide mortality data come from 2024 death certificates as reported to the CDC. All data by age group are reported as crude rates, otherwise age-adjusted rates are presented. Suicide thoughts, plans, and attempts among high school students come from 2023 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, published in 2024. Data for people ages 12-17 or 18-25 were collected in 2024 from the SAMHSA National Survey of Drug Use & Health, published in 2025.

More Support is Needed

Not enough young people are getting support for their mental health:

  • 36.7% of young adults aged 18 to 25 perceived an unmet need for mental health services (SAMHSA, 2024).
  • While 72% of LGBTQ+ teens and young adults desired professional counseling, only 32% received these services (The Jed Foundation, 2021). 
  • 65% of rural counties do not have a psychiatrist (Andrilla et al, 2018).

Teens themselves report that they are aware of the importance of seeking mental health support but still have trouble reaching out (The Jed Foundation, 2024):

  • 76% of teens believe it is important to actively care for their mental health and 74% of teens say it is a sign of strength to reach out for help with mental health. 
  • However, 48% say they would only seek out professional help as a last resort, 42% say they do not have the words to ask for help, 42% say it is too overwhelming to reach out for support, and 33% say it is hard to find safe moments to talk. 

Schools should do more to support student mental health and suicide prevention: 91% of school administrators feel that schools should make efforts to prevent suicide among students. Similarly, 92% believe that schools should make efforts to identify high school students in need of mental health services (The Jed Foundation, 2020).

JED is Here to Help

Learn more about our Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention, and how we use this evidence-based model to assess strengths and areas for improvement with school districts, high schools, colleges and universities, and youth-serving community-based organizations.

Learn more and sign up for our programs:

For more resources, check out our Mental Health Resource Center.

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