The statistics on self-harm among young people are really troubling. Self-harm has been on the rise¹ and there's been an increase in the number of young people requiring hospitalisation as a result.

The average age young people start self-harming is estimated to be around 13 years old.²

We’ve seen a sharp spike in hospitalisations between 2011/12-2021/22 amongst 10–14 year olds, with admission rates more than doubling, from 124 to 307 per 100,000. In the same time period there has also been a 37% increase in self-harm related hospitalisation for 15–19-year-olds.

However, the most recent data shows a fairly significant decrease, particularly for 15-19 year olds. Whether this is a trend that will continue we don't know but we can hope so!