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Big rise in self-harm among girls

Self-harm - Level 4

More and more teenage girls are suffering from self-harm. A study in a medical journal says more 13-16-year-old girls are self-harming. Researchers looked at data on nearly 17,000 patients. The researchers found there was a 68 per cent increase in self-harm among these girls over a three-year period. During the same period, rates for other teenage girls stayed constant. Self-harm rates for girls are three times higher than those for boys.

A professor of psychiatry said stress and psychological problems probably caused this rise. He said: "It's important to understand its underlying causes." A children's charity said self-harm can often be a sign of a bigger problem. It said services to help teenage girls at risk were vital. Without these, it can be a matter of life or death. Self-harm is one of the biggest signs of teenage suicide. Suicide is the second most common cause of death in under-25s.

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Self-harm - Level 5

There has been a big rise in self-harm among young teenage girls in the UK. A new study from a British medical journal says more and more 13-16-year-old girls are self-harming. Researchers looked at the data of 600 doctors on nearly 17,000 patients. The researchers found that there was a 68 per cent increase in self-harm among girls over the three-year period of the study. During the same period, rates stayed constant for 10- to 12-year-old girls and 17- to 19-year-olds. The self-harm rates for girls are three times higher than those for boys.

A professor of psychiatry and population health said increasing stress and psychological problems were probably adding to the trend. He said: "It's important to understand its underlying causes." A children's charity said: "Self-harm can often be an expression of a deeper problem, which is why early intervention services to support these children are vital. Without this, the consequences really can be a matter of life or death." Self-harm is one of the biggest risk factors for teenage suicide. Suicide is the second most common cause of death in under-25s around the world.

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Self-harm - Level 6

There has been a steep rise in reports of self-harm among young teenage girls in the United Kingdom. A new study from the British Medical Journal reports that more and more girls aged 13 to 16 suffer from self-inflicted harm. Researchers from the University of Manchester looked at data on nearly 17,000 patients from more than 600 doctors' surgeries. The researchers found that there was a 68 per cent increase in self-harm among 13- to 16-year-old girls over the three-year period of the study. During the same period, rates stayed constant among 10- to 12-year-old girls and 17- to 19-year-olds. The study said self-harm rates among girls are three times higher than those for boys.

Doctor Nav Kapur, study author and professor of psychiatry and population health, said increasing stress and psychological problems were probably what was fuelling the trend. He said: "We must take self-harm seriously. It's important to understand its underlying causes." A UK children's charity said: "Self-harm can often be an expression of a deeper problem, which is why early intervention services to support these children are vital. Without this, the consequences really can be a matter of life or death." Self-harm is one of the biggest risk factors for suicide among teens. Suicide is now the second most common cause of death in the under-25s worldwide.

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