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FIRST ON FOX:Several Republicanssend letters to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to release 2021 child suicide data I requested that you do. ..
Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, along with 19 Republican members of the House of Representatives, sent a letter toCDC Director Rochelle Walenskyto inform the agency to publish unpublished data. I requested.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated our social crisis, the mental health of our children," Steil said in a press release first obtained by FoxNews Digital. I am. “Data on children's suicide rates are an important tool needed to strengthen the mental health infrastructure.”
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Rep. Brian Stale, R-Wisc. The pandemic "exacerbated the deteriorating crisis of our society: the mental health of our children." (Bill Clark / CQ-RollCall, Inc via Getty Images)
"As we approach the next school year, this important data will help us to support our children and improve their mental health. Make informed decisions, "he continued.
In the letter, lawmakers ask Warensky to "cooperate" with him "to address this long-standing problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic."
"I understand that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not released data on suicide rates for children in 2021," they write. "Ask why the CDC did not release the final data, which is an important indicator of our country's mental health, noting that the provisional data was released."
"It's an important time to prevent and treat mental health," and "half of all mental illnesses occur before a person is 14 years old."
Steil and Republicans also said, "The number of children admitted to children's hospitals for suicide and self-harm has doubled since 2016."
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention And prevention have been criticized for her COVID-19 policy. (Greg Nash / Pool via REUTERS)
"Clearly, even before the pandemic, America has a mental health crisis between children and adolescents. I was experiencing it, "they wrote. Continuing to write the COVID-19 pandemic, "this problem is exacerbated, the healthcare system is strained, and children suffer from unmet mental health needs."
"During the pandemic, school closures, social restrictions, and disruptions in daily life put considerable stress on children and their families," they wrote. "These developments have restricted access to many of the resources children rely on to deal with stress and anxiety."
Legalists said the statistics were "terrifying and breathtaking." He called it "Mu-like" and quoted the previous data from the CDC "From mid-March 2020 to October of that year" and showed a "mental health-related emergency" when compared to the 2019 data. Departmental visits for children ages 5-11 increased by 24%.
They also noted a 31% increase in "adolescent children aged 12 to 17" over the same period.
"Suicide statisticsare even more scary," writes Steil and his colleagues. "According to a May 2020 CDC survey, emergency department visits for attempted suicide in adolescents aged 12 to 17 were 39% more than in the same period in 2019."
Since COVID-19, the mental health problems of young people have been increasing rapidly. (iStock)
"In the United States, the fact that suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15 to 24 years exacerbates the problem. . "They continued.
Republicans said the data "indicates the extent of the crisis we are facing" and the government "has long postponed measures to strengthen the mental health infrastructure." I need to take it. " The needs of our children. "
" This must be a top priority, "Concluded Steil and his colleagues. "We are ready to work with you to address these challenges."
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Joining Steil in the letter is a Republican from the entire spectrum of the party, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania, Mariannette Miller, Iowa. Includes Meeks, Greg Murphy, North Carolina, and Kat Cammack, Florida.
The CDC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on FoxNews Digital's letter.
Houston Keene is a political reporter for FoxNews Digital. Story tips can be sent on Twitter.Keene@Fox.com and Twitter: @HoustonKeene
