Abstract
YRBSS Suicide-Related Feelings, Thoughts, and Behaviors: 2021 and 2023 FEELING, THOUGHT, OR BEHAVIOR PERCENT OF 9TH–12TH GRADER SELF-REPORTS 2021 2023 % DECREASE Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness 42.3 39.7 6.2 Poor mental health in the past 30 days 29.3 28.5 2.7 Seriously considered suicide during the past year 22.2 20.4 8.1 Made a suicide plan during the past year 17.6 16.4 6.8 Attempted suicide during the past year 10.2 9.5 6.9 Injured in a suicide attempt during the past year 2.9 2.3 20.7 Long-Term Trends To place the current findings in context and examine longer-term trends, Figure 1 summarizes YRBSS findings since the first survey in 1991 (CDC, 2025c; Kann et al., 2014). [...]the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022), sponsored by then-Senator Marco Rubio, included $1 billion in funding appropriations to support student mental health. Specifically, based on these YRBSS findings, advocacy efforts should prioritize enhancing access to mental health services, especially for marginalized and minoritized youth with intersecting identities. [...]when sorted by diverse gender identities (labeled as “transgender” by the CDC), these findings most strikingly demonstrate the impact of intersectionality (CDC, 2025d).