Suicidal children seen by hospitals ‘tip of iceberg’

IRISH children who turn up at hospital A&E units after attempting suicide, or self-harm, represent only the “tip of the iceberg”, as many cases never attend, a leading child psychiatrist yesterday told an international conference on suicide.

A study jointly conducted by the Temple Street and Crumlin children’s hospitals found that a child as young as six years had tried to strangle himself. The Dublin study examined 484 cases of deliberate self-harm involving people between the ages of six and 16, covering five years in relation to Temple Street and 11 years in Crumlin.

All of the children presented at A&E units at the hospitals and 10.5% were aged 11 or under.