More islanders treated for self-harm in A&E

More patients attending A&E in Jersey are being treated for self-harm, according to public health officials.

In 2024 a total of 550 people went to the emergency department for problems related to mental health, with 245 of these visits related to self-harm, according to a report by Public Health Jersey (PHJ).

The report also showed the number of islanders prescribed antidepressants had risen by 22% and those prescribed medication for insomnia and anxiety had risen by 23% over the past nine years.

PHJ said fewer young people had self-harmed in comparison to 2021 but the number of adults self-harming had "steadily increased" since 2019.

One in four of young people aged between 14 and 16 years old had thought about hurting themselves and more than one in 10 had self-harmed, according to the report.

It found 22% of Jersey's 14 to 16-year-olds had thought about harming themselves in the last 12 months while 14% had self-harmed.

PHJ said half of the same age group who reported their health as bad or very bad said they had thought about hurting themselves in the last 12 months.

The report also found young people who had been bullied during the past year were twice more likely to self-harm, with 27% doing so.

PHJ said the proportion of young people who had self-harmed in the last 12 months had decreased since the last survey which was carried out in 2021.

PHJ said the number of people going to the emergency department with self-harm related issues had shown "a fluctuating trend" over the past decade.

After peaking at 240 in 2013, attendances dipped to a low of 145 in 2019.

Since then numbers have "steadily increased", reaching 245 in both 2021 and 2024, the highest levels recorded in this period, PHJ said.

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