Teenage self-harm in Ireland sparks ‘growing societal concern’

Research shows rates are significantly higher among girls, trans and gender-diverse adolescents and early school leavers. 

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and King’s College London have published harrowing new research showing self-harm among teenagers in Ireland is on the rise. 

The study, published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, analysed over 20,000 anonymous responses to the Planet Youth Survey. The data was used to estimate national health trends in mental health, self-harm and suicide attempts between 2018 and 2023. 

Responses came from students aged 15 to 19 in 113 secondary schools across six counties. 

One in five respondents reported poor mental health at the time of the survey, while one in eight said they had self-harmed repeatedly during their life. One in 12 also reported trying to take their own life. 

Repeated self-harm – defined as five or more incidents over a lifetime – increased from 9.7% during the pandemic to 11.1% two years later. Researchers described the rise as ‘worrying’, despite improvements in other mental health indicators. 

Elsewhere, the research outlines rates of poor mental health and suicide attempts among teenagers have fallen since the pandemic. 

However, trans and gender-diverse young people reported the highest levels across all measures. According to the study, 52% experienced poor mental health, 44% reported repeated self-harm and 23% had attempted suicide. 

‘Our study shows that in a typical classroom of 25 senior-cycle students, five will report poor mental health, three will have self-harmed multiple times and two will have attempted suicide at some point in their life,’ Dr Niamh Dooley, research fellow at RCSI’s Department of Psychiatry and at King’s College London, said. 

‘While we knew already that demand for adolescent mental health support in Ireland exceeds available services, these findings illustrate just how wide that gap may be.’

Professor Mary Cannon, of psychiatric epidemiology and youth mental health at RCSI, added: ‘The results of this study reflect growing societal concern about teenage mental health.

‘The continued prevalence of suicide attempts highlights the importance of early, universal prevention, as well as targeted interventions for groups of young people who face heightened and more complex risks.’

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 

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