Numbers attending hospital after self-harming rise by 10%

There has been a 10% increase in the number of people presenting to hospitals due to self-harm in the last 10 years.

This is according to the latest figures from the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland, which is funded by the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention.

Almost one third of the 8,909 people who visited emergency departments in 2016 as a result of self-harm did so more than once — there were 11,485 presentations last year.

More females presented than males and the peak age profile was from 15-24 years of age.

The peak rate for women was in the 15-19 years age group at 763 per 100,000, whereas the peak rate among men was in 20-24 year-olds at 516 per 100,000.

These rates imply that one in every 131 girls in the age group 15-19 and one in every 194 men in the age group 20-24 presented to hospital in 2016 as a consequence of self-harm. In terms of the general population, one in every 485 people self-harmed in Ireland in 2016.

The peak time for acts of self-harm was midnight and almost half of all hospital presentations were made between 7pm and 3am.

Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday were the busiest nights for hospitals for self-harm presentations.

There were far more incidences in urban areas than rural areas.

In urban areas, 291 people per 100,000 visited hospitals as a result of self-harm — 155 per 100,000 in rural ones presented.

An overdose of some kind was the most common reason why people visited a hospital in relation to self-harm, with medication having a significant role in 67% of cases.

Alcohol was a factor in one in three presentations — or in 34% of male cases and in 29% for female ones.

Just over one quarter, or 27%, of cases related to self-cutting.

Eve Griffin, manager of the National Self-Harm Registry in UCC, said a proportion of people presenting to hospitals after self-harming leave without talking to a health professional.

“We still see that about 13% of persons leave an emergency department without being seen by a clinician or without a recommendation and this is an ongoing challenge,” she said.

However, she said EDs present an “opportunity” to engage with vulnerable people. “Self-harm is the single most important risk factor for suicide and the emergency department is a real opportunity to intervene and reduce suicide risk among a particular group,” said Ms Griffin.