SOME 9,630 people presented to hospital emergency departments after deliberately harming themselves last year, marking the fourth successive increase in self-harm rates in as many years.
The most common methods of self-harm were overdoses and cutting. Some 601 people attempted to hang themselves, according to the annual report of the National Registry of Deliberate Self-Harm.
The report concludes the “economic recession is likely to be a key contributor to the recent increases in hospital-treated deliberate self-harm”. Rates of deliberate self-harm have increased by 27 per cent for men and 7 per cent for women since 2007, it says.
Overall, there were 11,966 presentations at hospital emergency departments by 9,630 people in 2010. Taking the population into account, the incidence rate for self-harm was 217 per 100,000 people, which is 5 per cent higher than the 209 per 100,000 figure in 2009.
Dr Geoff Day, director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention, said yesterday the presentations figure was just the “tip of the iceberg”. He estimates 60,000 people are currently self-harming and not presenting at hospitals.
The most common method of self-harm is drug overdose, which was involved in 71 per cent of all acts registered last year. Most of these incidents involved use of tranquillisers, paracetamol and anti-depressants. But there has been a 40 per cent increase – from 461 incidents in 2008 to 645 in 2010 – in the use of street drugs.
Cutting was the only other common method of self-harm, involved in 23 per cent of all episodes. It is a more common method among men than women.
Presentations to hospitals peak around midnight and almost one-third of presentations were made on Sundays and Mondays.
Women were more likely to deliberately self-harm than men, with young women between 15 and 19 years the most vulnerable.
The male rate of deliberate self-harm was 205 per 100,000, which is 4 per cent higher than in 2009.
As in previous years the most vulnerable age group are women between the ages of 15 and 19 years with an incidence rate of 639 per 100,000. The peak rate for men was in the 20-24 years age bracket with 626 per 100,000 engaging in deliberate self-harm.
The highest rate of deliberate self-harm for men was found in Cork city, with an incidence rate of 513 per 100,000, while the lowest was in Leitrim at 79 per 100,000.
The highest rate for women was recorded in Limerick city with an incidence rate of 572 per 100,000 while the lowest was again in Leitrim at 92 per 100,000.
A pilot programme to link the registry’s data on self-harm with suicide mortality data in the Cork area found evidence of an “association between self-harm and suicide, particularly in men”.
The report says self-harm data should be linked with suicide mortality information to increase insight into suicide risk. It also recommends more early intervention to identify people at risk of self-harm and the introduction of uniform procedures to assess people at risk and provide aftercare services when they leave hospital.
DELIBERATE SELF-HARM REPORT KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
Early intervention to identify people at risk of self-harm
Tackle repeated self-harm through uniform procedures for assessment and aftercare services
Provide wider range of treatment programmes following hospital discharge
Inform public about symptoms of depression and warning signs of suicidal behaviour
Roll out self-harm awareness training nationwide