Self-harm figures “may be the tip of the iceberg”

The following is a news item from Hafal’s Big Lottery-funded Young People’s Information Hub. To access the Hub please click here.

Statistics from the 2011 Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Monitor for Wales (CYPWMW) which show that admissions for young people in Wales who self-harm have risen have been described as “alarming”.

According to the CYPWMW, which examines data on issues such as education, health and tackling poverty and covers the lives of Welsh children from birth until the age of 25, hospital admissions for self-harm in Wales have increased, particularly among 15-17-year-old girls, from approximately 650 incidents per 100,000 people in 2003-2005 to approximately 900 per 100,000 in 2006-2008.

Commenting on the statistics Paula Lavis, Policy and Knowledge Manager of the mental health charity Young Minds , said: “These figures highlight how big an issue self-harming is among some young people.

“This may only be the tip of the iceberg as they only cover hospital admissions, so do not include the many young people who do not come to the attention of services.”

To read more on this story please visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13268255

To find out more on Young Minds please visit: http://www.youngminds.org.uk/

To read the “2011 Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Monitor for Wales” please visit: http://tiny.cc/sb0z0