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 contributer 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.
One fifth of all deliberate self harm presentations were due to repeat acts, it says.
The most common method of self harm is drug overdose, which was involved in 71 per cent of all acts registered in last year. Most of these incidents involved use of minor 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 in deliberate self harm incidents.
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.
Alcohol was rarely the main method of self harm, although it was involved as a contributory factor in 41 per cent of all cases.
Presentations to hospitals peak in the hours around midnight and almost one third of all presentations were made on Sundays and Mondays. The registry identified an increased number of self harm presentations on public holidays.
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.
The registry's report says the ongoing increase in deliberate self harm among young men is likely to be related to mental health and socioeconomic problems associated with the recession in Ireland.