Public holidays busiest time for self-harm emergencies

Public holidays are the busiest times for self-harm emergencies, with St Patrick’s Day the worst of all, according to the first study of its type in Ireland.

The phenomenon has been described as a “paradox” of public holidays, with higher rates of traumatic incidents happening on days of celebration.

Examining more than 100,000 self-harm presentations to hospitals between 2007 and 2015, researchers found that there were, on average, 32 incidents on public holidays, compared to 27 on all other days.