As of 2022, the third leading cause of death among teenagers aged 15 to 19 years in the United States was intentional self-harm or suicide, contributing around 17 percent of deaths among age group. The leading cause of death at that time was unintentional injuries, contributing to around 37.4 percent of deaths, while 21.8 percent of all deaths in this age group were due to assault or homicide. Cancer and heart disease, the overall leading causes of death in the United States, are also among the leading causes of death among U.S. teenagers. Adolescent suicide in the United States In 2021, around 22 percent of students in grades 9 to 12 reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Female students were around twice as likely to report seriously considering suicide compared to male students. In 2022, Montana had the highest rate of suicides among U.S. teenagers with around 39 deaths per 100,000 teenagers, followed by South Dakota with a rate of 33 per 100,000. The states with the lowest death rates among adolescents are New York and New Jersey. Mental health treatment Suicidal thoughts are a clear symptom of mental health issues. Mental health issues are not rare among children and adolescents, and treatment for such issues has become increasingly accepted and accessible. In 2021, around 15 percent of boys and girls aged 5 to 17 years had received some form of mental health treatment in the past year. At that time, around 35 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 years in the United States who were receiving specialty mental health services were doing so because they had thought about killing themselves or had already tried to kill themselves.

In 2022, the leading causes of death among children and adolescents in the United States aged 10 to 14 were unintentional injuries, intentional self-harm (suicide), and cancer. That year, unintentional injuries accounted for around 25 percent of all deaths among this age group. Leading causes of death among older teens Like those aged 10 to 14 years, the leading cause of death among older teenagers in the U.S. aged 15 to 19 years is unintentional injuries. In 2022, unintentional injuries accounted for around 37 percent of all deaths among older teens. However, unlike those aged 10 to 14, the second leading cause of death among teens aged 15 to 19 is assault or homicide. Sadly, the third leading cause of death among this age group is suicide, making suicide among the leading three causes of death for both age groups. Teen suicide Suicide remains a major problem among teenagers in the United States, as reflected in the leading causes of death among this age group. It was estimated that in 2021, around 22 percent of high school students in the U.S. considered attempting suicide in the past year, with this rate twice as high for girls than for boys. The states with the highest death rates due to suicide among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years are Montana, South Dakota, and New Mexico. In 2022, the death rate from suicide among this age group in Montana was 39 per 100,000 population. In comparison, New York, the state with the lowest rate, had just five suicide deaths among those aged 15 to 19 years per 100,000 population.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is a set of surveys that monitor priority health risk behaviors and experiences that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth of grade 9 -12 in the United States. The surveys are administered every other year and it is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 107 questionnaire are asked. Some of the health-related behaviors and experiences monitored are: * Student demographics: sex, sexual identity, race and ethnicity, and grade * Youth health behaviors and conditions: sexual, injury and violence, bullying, diet and physical activity, obesity, and mental health, suicide attempt * Substance use behaviors: electronic vapor product and tobacco product use, alcohol use, and other drug use * Student experiences: parental monitoring, school connectedness, unstable housing, and exposure to community violence The dataset is used by a group of graduate students from Texas State University for 2025 TXST Open Datathon. The main YRBSS dataset includes data of multiple years, various states, district. For analyzing demographic variations associated with suicide, the 1991–2023 combined district dataset (https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/files/sadc_2023/HS/sadc_2023_district.dat) is used, which offers a broad historical perspective on trends across different groups. To examine the preventive measures and develop a predictive model for suicide risk, the 2023 dataset (https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/files/2023/XXH2023_YRBS_Data.zip) was used, ensuring the inclusion of the most recent behavioral and attributes. Please review the 2023 YRBS Data User's Guide by CDC for further information.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) collects information about six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults in the United States, including: (1) Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; (2) Sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitting diseases, including HIV infection; (3) Tobacco use; (4) Unhealthy dietary behaviors; and (5) Inadequate physical activity. YRBSS also monitors the prevalence of obesity and asthma. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is conducted during the spring of odd-numbered years and the results are typically released in the summer of the following year. Participating sites may vary from year to year; refer to the Methods page for guidance from the CDC on best practices for combining data from multiple survey years.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors 6 types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults, including: behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV infection; alcohol and other drug use; tobacco use; unhealthy dietary behaviors; inadequate physical activity. YRBSS also measures the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults. YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by CDC and state, territorial, tribal, and local surveys conducted by state, territorial, and local education and health agencies and tribal governments.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults. This file contains state-level results for 13 tobacco-use variables by sex and grade for 2013.

The Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS) was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disease, injury, and social problems among youth. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) — in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) — conducts the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in randomly selected public high schools in every odd-numbered years.

The Massachusetts YRBS (MYRBS) focuses on the major risk behaviors that threaten the health and safety of young people. This anonymous survey includes questions about tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors that might lead to unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease, dietary behaviors, physical activity, and behaviors associated with intentional or unintentional injuries. Since 2007, the MYRBS has been conducted jointly with the Massachusetts Youth Health Survey (MYHS) developed by DPH.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors 6 types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults, including: behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV infection; alcohol and other drug use; tobacco use; unhealthy dietary behaviors; inadequate physical activity. YRBSS also measures the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults. YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by CDC and state, territorial, tribal, and local surveys conducted by state, territorial, and local education and health agencies and tribal governments.

The main causes of death in Nigeria in 2021 were neonatal disorders and malaria. More specifically, nearly 14 percent and 13 percent of all deaths in the country were caused by neonatal disorders and malaria, respectively. Other common causes included lower respiratory infects and COVID-19.

There were 285 new cases of measles in the U.S. in 2024. Measles, also known as rubeola, is an infectious disease that is highly contagious and affects mostly children. Common symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and a rash. Although death rates from measles have decreased around the world, it is still responsible for around 81,000 deaths worldwide per year. Measles vaccination The main reason for the decrease in measles cases and deaths is due to high vaccination rates. The widely used MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella and is safe and effective. In 2023, around 91 percent of adolescents in the U.S. aged 13 to 17 years had received an MMR vaccination. However, in recent years there has been a rise in measles cases in many parts of the world due to vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy Vaccine hesitancy refers to a refusal or reluctance to have children vaccinated, despite the overwhelming evidence that vaccines are safe and effective. This hesitancy comes from a misunderstanding of the ingredients in vaccines and how they work, a mistrust of doctors and pharmaceutical companies, and belief in the unfounded associations of vaccines with other diseases and disorders.