LGBTQ Teen Suicide
In its newly released “Youth Risk Behavior Survey,” the CDC found 23% of high school students who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual have attempted suicide.
That’s four-times the rate of their straight peers.
Sexual minority youth (SMY) are those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB); who are not sure
of their sexual identity; or who have sexual contact with persons of the same or both sexes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) routinely monitors youth health behaviors and experiences; collaborates with education agencies to implement primary prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and teen pregnancy; and conducts research to evaluate innovative prevention strategies.
To raise awareness and understanding, this report presents the 2017 data by sex, by race/ethnicity, and for sexual minority youth. We also look at the past decade and examine linear YRBS trends for each focus area.
