Teen girls are struggling with mental illness at record levels, with many 'persistently sad,' data reveals

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know if having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). 

Young women nationwide are struggling with their mental health — with many turning to self-harm as a way to cope. 

Some 57% of female teens in the U.S. struggled with feeling "persistently sad" in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of the women surveyed, 30% considered suicide, 24% planned suicide and 13% attempted suicide. 

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Fox News correspondent Gillian Turner joined "America Reports" on Monday to share a story of a teen struggling with poor mental health. 

She'll also have additional reports (TUNE IN: SEE THE FULL STORY FROM GILLIAN TURNER ON "SPECIAL REPORT" ON MONDAY NIGHT, 6 P.M. EST, ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL). 

Mental health issues among female teenagers are clear and apparent in the United States, the CDC says. (Fox News)

Caroline Zuba is a teenager from Virginia who is a survivor of an attempted suicide.

Zuba was hospitalized six times in the last three years with mental health emergencies, after suffering mentally and emotionally.

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"I just felt like I didn’t have a purpose, so the first thing I turned to initially, with experimenting, was cutting," she told Fox News. 

Serious mental health problems in teen girls are becoming increasingly prevalent in the U.S., according to the CDC.  (Fox News)

Cutting oneself is a way to try and cope with emotional pain, sadness, anger and stress, according to the Mayo Clinic's website.

Physically harming herself took the mental pain away, said Zuba — who added that the only thing that ultimately helped her heal was medicine and therapy. 

Turner spoke with Ingrid Boshoff, an eating disorder survivor, who said that being present for a friend going through a tough time is important.

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"Sometimes all you can do is say, ‘I’m here, and I’m doing my best,'" she said. 

Zuba’s mother recalled the moment she was told about her daughter's cutting — saying she would never forget that day. 

The young woman's school guidance counselor called and said that Zuba's daughter had been cutting herself, the mom noted.

Caroline Zuba's mother said that learning her daughter was cutting herself is a day she will never forget.  (Fox News)

"Mental illness is not bias — it can happen to anyone," she also said. 

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The mental health crisis is an ongoing issue throughout the nation, as many families are unable to find specialists to help. 

Data from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, headquartered in Washington, D.C., shows that in the U.S., there are only 14 child and adolescent psychiatrists for every 100,000 children. 

The shortage leads to long wait times. 

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The average wait time for behavioral health services is 48 days, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing of Washington, D.C. found, as Fox News Digital reported.

Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.