THE Scottish Government is taking “decisive action” to bring down the number of children being admitted to hospital with self-harm-related injuries, mental health minister Kevin Stewart has said.
Research has revealed the number of kids going to hospital with injuries that suggest self-harm is up by a third since the start of the pandemic.
There were 1707 inpatients under the age of 18 diagnosed with self-harm-related injuries last year, up from 1141 in 2019 and more than double the number diagnosed a decade ago.
Independent researchers at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice) have prepared a briefing for MSPs on the alarming Public Health Scotland (PHS) figures before publication of Scotland’s new suicide prevention action plan in September.
Stewart has said young people’s mental health is a “priority” and a range of new services will be tested to tackle self-harm over the next three years.
Meanwhile, a stand-alone Scottish self-harm strategy – believed to be the first of its kind – is also being developed.
"Children and young people’s mental health is a priority for the Scottish Government and we are taking decisive action to address the significant impact the pandemic has had on this group,” said Stewart.
READ MORE: Treatment delays causing 'mental health crisis' in Scotland, campaigners say
“Following additional investment of £40 million last year for CAMHS [Children and Adolescent Mental Health services], the latest national performance data is showing that more than 5,000 children and young people began treatment in the last quarter, the highest-ever recorded.
“The Government is also taking targeted action now to support people who self-harm. This includes testing a range of new services over the next three years, starting this summer to provide vital support to children as young as 12.
“We are also developing a stand-alone Scottish self-harm strategy – we believe the first of its kind – which aims to ensure the right policies and compassionate support are in place for people who self-harm, so that we can tailor our responses.
“In all our work on self-harm we are engaging with people with lived experience, and services that support them.”
Self-harm includes non-fatal overdoses, alcohol poisoning and self-inflicted bodily injuries and excludes accidents, substance misuse short of poisoning and eating disorders.
PHS records data on the number of inpatients diagnosed with self-harm-related injuries in Scottish NHS acute hospitals, for both adults and children.
READ MORE: Scottish mental health made worse by pandemic debt worries
The Spice briefing added: “These figures will only show a small proportion of the total of intentional self-harm in Scotland.”
According to the Scottish Health Survey, self-harm is particularly common among young women although its data does not include information on self-harm in those under 16.
In response to the Spice research, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland said mental health and access to services was a “huge concern” and highlighted its recent warnings about the effect of Covid-19 on waiting times for mental health services.
Spice found that the suicide rate in Scotland declined between 202 and 2017 but increased in 2018 and 2019 before falling slightly in 2020.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here