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The epidemic of self harm

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Binge-drinking and drug taking among young people are rarely out of the headlines, but one issue remains a taboo subject: self-harming. With recent figures reported by the Independent on Sunday and released in the Psychiatric Morbidity Survey revealing the increasing prevalence of self-harm, the lid is finally being lifted on the very real problem of those that deliberately hurt themselves to cope with feelings of distress.

The rise in self harm

The number of people harming themselves deliberately has increased by a third in the past five years, according to new figures seen by the Independent on Sunday.

The newspaper revealed in March that there were 97,871 hospital admissions for deliberate self-harm in England in 2007-08 - 4,337 of them for children under the age of 14. Meanwhile, last month's annual Psychiatric Morbidity Survey revealed that nearly 12 per cent of women aged between 16 and 24 admitted to self-harm in 2007 - a rise of 80 per cent since 2000.

Speaking to the Independent on Sunday, Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: "Self-harm is often a secret activity and people will avoid going to hospital if possible. So the fact we've seen such a substantial rise in hospital admissions is worrying and could be the tip of the iceberg."

Why self-harm?

Figures show that those aged between 11 and 25 years old are more likely to deliberately harm themselves, with at least one in 15 young people having self-harmed in the UK, according to the Mental Health Foundation.

Self-harm not only damages the physical health of an individual, it can have far wider consequences, seriously affecting relationships with families and friends and having a detrimental impact on a person's wellbeing.

For many, self-harming acts as a coping mechanism, which enables a person to express difficult emotions, suggests the Mental Health Foundation. Those who hurt themselves deliberately often feel that physical pain is easier to deal with than the emotional pain they are experiencing. But, as mental health specialists warn, the behaviour only provides temporary relief and fails to deal with the underlying issues that a person is facing.

Highest levels in Europe

Although self-harming is most common among young people, a study undertaken by mental health charity SANE, published in December 2008, found that people of all ages are self-harming. Some participants of the study reported that they first started to harm themselves when they were as young as four; others had not started self harming until they were in their late fifties.

Commenting on the research, chief executive Marjorie Wallace said: "Over the last few years SANE has been aware of an epidemic of self harm, and this report shows an increasing diversity of people using extreme ways to release their mental turmoil." She added that self harm is "a potentially addictive and desperate way of dealing with the stresses of life – as one girl told us: 'I need to cut myself as I need to breathe'".

In their 2006 report, Truth Hurts, The Camelot Foundation and Mental Health Foundation say that evidence suggest the UK has the highest rate of self harm in Europe.

An obstacle to seeking help

Yet the difficulty with tackling self harm, as highlighted by mental health charities such as the Mental Health Foundation, is that people often hurt themselves for long periods of time without ever disclosing their self-harm. This has perhaps contributed to the lack of visibility of the issue in recent years.

The conclusions of a two year national inquiry into self-harm, in partnership with by the Camelot Foundation and the Mental Health Foundation, revealed that young people who self-harm are more likely to turn to friends their own age for help, rather than relatives, teachers or GPs. The final report, published in 2006, found that widespread misunderstandings about self-harm among professionals and relatives were preventing young people from seeking and getting support, with little information available to help parents and professionals learn to deal with self-harm appropriately and effectively.

SANE's Marjorie Wallace urges for better recognition of self-harm within the health services. Following the charity's research into self-harm, Ms Wallace said that what is "alarming" is the numbers of those taken to A&E departments who are sent home without any follow-up help. "We need doctors and teachers to be more alert to the potential risks, and many more therapists available, to prevent the vicious cycle of relief by painful self-harm," she stated.

Suicidal children

The evidence for growing unhappiness among young people who strive to deal with the challenges of modern living does not stop there. Recent figures from children's charity the NSPCC reveal the number of suicidal children counselled by ChildLine has tripled in the last five years to an average of nearly 60 a week.

Of those children who gave their age, over half were aged 12 to 15 years and one in 16 was aged 11 years or under.

On release of the figures last month, head of ChildLine, Sue Minto, commented on the reasons behind the alarming figures: "Children feel suicidal for complex and different reasons, but often say they have a history of abuse, neglect, family problems or mental health issues. Others have been driven to the brink by bullying, their parents' divorce, the death of someone close or exam stress," she said.

Where to turn

The Royal College of Psychiatrists advise that those who feel the need to self-harm should try to talk to someone about how they are feeling. Other ways of dealing with the emotions they experience include trying to distract yourself; writing a diary or letter to explain how you feel or trying to focus on the positive.

If you want to talk to someone, Samaritans offer non-judgmental support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for anyone experiencing feelings of distress or depression, which can lead to suicide. Samaritans can be contacted by phone on 08457 909090 (GB) or 1850 609090 (ROI), email at jo@samaritans.org, or face to face, visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.