INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosier girls are increasingly facing mental health challenges — and many of their struggles are going unnoticed or unaddressed. That’s according to a new study published this month by the Indiana Youth Institute and the Girl Coalition of Indiana.
The 2023 State of the Indiana Girl Report dives into mental health data and surveys completed by school-aged kids in the state. It found that Hoosier girls are “experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis.” Their symptoms can be easy to hide and often go unnoticed, and even when they seek help, there is a shortage of mental health professionals — especially in schools.
Data indicates that nearly half of Hoosier girls in grades 7-12 experienced depression in 2022, and close to one in four girls seriously considered suicide. The report also found that girls in Indiana are twice as likely as boys to become victims of traditional bullying, and three times as likely to become victims of cyberbullying.
“There is a stark discrepancy between the mental and physical health of Indiana’s girls and their male counterparts,” said Girl Coalition of Indiana Executive Director, Mackenzie Pickerrell. “We must act now to remove the barriers that exist throughout Indiana which prevent our girls from thriving.”
More than 6,000 Indiana girls in high school not just considered suicide, but began to engage and think about the details of how they would carry it out, according to the report.
At least 16,835 Hoosier girls in grades 7-12 indicated they experienced depression from 2021-2022. Nearly a quarter of female respondents indicated that they had seriously considered attempting suicide sometime in the past year.
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