80% of children who self-harm act ‘impulsively’

THE vast majority of children who have deliberately self-harmed did so “impulsively” and after an argument at home, at school or with peers, according to a major 11-year study.

The research said that of 231 children who self- harmed, half had intended to kill themselves. The average age was 13, with ages ranging from as young as six to 17.

Authors said deliberate self-harm (DSH) was a “significant public health problem” in young people here and that rates continue to rise.