The suicide rate in the U.S. reached a record high last year after steadily climbing for decades, according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Suicide deaths rose 3% from 2021 to 2022, from 48,183 to 49,449, the report found. That’s “the highest number ever recorded in the U.S.,” the authors of the report wrote.

The overall rate among men grew 1%, while the rate among women rose 4%. But the suicide rate among young people actually decreased — a notable change, given that the youth mental health crisis has received plenty of attention in recent years. The suicide rate among children aged 10 to 14 dropped by 18% between 2021 and 2022, and declined by 9% for young people aged 15 to 24.

Experts nonetheless remain wary. “I’m certainly heartened that the numbers [for these age groups] went down for this year,” Jill Harkavy-Friedman, SVP of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, told NPR. “I’ll be more heartened if I see them continue to go down.”

The report underscores an issue that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has highlighted during his time in office: the youth mental health crisis, for which he first issued an advisory in 2021. In the two years that have followed, experts have identified numerous factors, including social isolation fueled by the pandemic, social media, loneliness, gun violence and a lack of access to mental health care, as major contributors to rising rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. 

Meanwhile, growing demand for mental health services has led to a shortage of providers and therapists.

Earlier this year, the CDC reported that one in three high school girls considered suicide in 2021, a rise from one-fifth of girls in 2011. The majority of young girls surveyed, about 57%, said they felt “persistently sad or hopeless.”

But the latest report’s finding that the youth suicide rate has decreased offers a glimmer of hope for those who have worked to stem the growing number of cases.

One initiative that has worked toward that goal is the 988 mental health hotline, launched in 2022 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Since its launch, however, the hotline has faced its challenges. Critics have cited concerns about credibility and privacy, as well as the possibility that law enforcement or parents would be notified.

As a result, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center teamed with the Ad Council to craft guidelines designed to help organizations use the right messaging around 988.