The suicide rate for U.S. children 8 to 12 years old has steadily climbed in the past decade and a half, with a disproportionate rise among girls, data released Tuesday by the National Institute of Mental Health shows. [The Washington Post]

The findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, highlight pervasive issues regarding mental health that affect U.S. children daily, the study authors said.

The authors of the study blame no single reason for the increase, but experts not involved in the study say the problem is multifaceted, citing technology, social media and guns as the main culprits.

Between 2001 and 2022, 2,241 children ages 8 to 12 — known as preteens — died by suicide. While suicide rates were decreasing until 2007, they increased by about 8 percent each year from 2008 to 2022.

From 2001 through 2007, 482 children ages 8 to 12 died by suicide at a rate of 3.34 per 1 million preteens. From 2008 to 2022, the number of suicides in that age group rose to 1,759, with a rate of 5.71 per 1 million.

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