Dr. Debra Soh on health: what the evidence says · JRE #2082
SUBJECT: HEALTH
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
I was reading a statistic yesterday that one in 10 adolescents has considered suicide, which is that, that's terrifying.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
Soh cited a statistic that one in ten adolescents has considered suicide. The most current nationally representative data, CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, found that 20.4% of U.S. high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in the prior 12 months, roughly one in five, about double the rate Soh cited. The 2021 YRBS found a similar overall pattern, with prevalence even higher among female students (30.0%) and rising from 2019 to 2021. The underlying concern that adolescent suicidal ideation is common and rising is well-supported, but the specific "one in ten" figure understates the current CDC estimate, which is closer to one in five.