Troubled teens: Surge in suicidal thoughts

A COUNSELLING service for troubled teenagers has seen a “significant increase” in self-harming and suicidal thoughts.

Teen Counselling said nearly a fifth of the 248 new teenage clients it dealt with in 2009 had deliberately injured themselves.

“We continue to be concerned about the number of teenagers who are harming themselves, often by cutting and/or taking substances,” the agency’s 2009 annual report said.

Clinical director Mary Forrest said in the report: “There has been a significant increase in those referred for self-harm concerns, from 6% when we started noting the figures in 2004 to 11% in 2009, but the levels of self-injury disclosed during counselling have also increased from 11% in 2004 to the high level of 17% in 2009.”

She said this latter figure was of “particular concern”.

The report said suicidal thoughts were a serious problem and one shared by some of the parents.

“Suicidal ideation was reported by 20% of teenagers (and 7% of parents) and suicidal intent was reported by 11% of teenagers (and 3% of parents),” said the report.

“4% of parents also reported that they had engaged in self-injurious behaviour.”

The agency provides a free counselling service to adolescents aged between 12 and 18 and their families. It operates in Dublin and is part of Crosscare, the social care agency of the Catholic Diocese of Dublin.

Of the 248 new teenage clients, more than half of referrals were aged under 16, with a fairly even split between boys and girls.

The vast majority (86%) were in second-level school, with 6% in Youthreach centres and 3% in primary school.

The report said the main reasons for referral included family conflict, behavioural problems and mood problems. But while identifying these and other issues as key problems, counsellors found underlying issues:

* Communication difficulties within families (42%).

* Distorted interactions between parent and child (26%).

* Parental separation (24%).

* Personal problems of parents (19%).

* Bereavement (17%).

The report said just 41% of the teens were living with both biological parents. Some 35% were living with one parent only, while 10% were living with a parent and partner/step-parent.

“Parental acrimony, whether living together or separately, is a major contributory factor in adolescent adjustment problems,” said the report.

It said 13% of teens reported illegal drug use and 37% alcohol use. It said drug use was down on previous years and that cannabis was by far the main drug used.

Some 15% reported alcohol addiction by their father and 12% by the mother.

Ms Forrest said that while much work had been done to expand their services in Dublin, “funding proved to be the stumbling block”.

The average cost per family for one year was €3,800 in 2009.

* www.crosscare.ie/teencounselling