Hospital-presenting self-harm among adolescents and young adults has increased between 2006 and 2019

Background  Self-harm in adolescence and young adulthood is an important public health concern, but there is currently no research on trends of self-harm among Finnish youth.

Methods  We examined trends in absolute numbers and incidence rates of hospital-presenting self-harm among Finnish 13–24-year-olds in 2006–2019. The analyses are based on total population register data from Statistics Finland and Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

Results  The absolute numbers and incidence of hospital-presenting self-harm have increased, especially after mid-2010s and among women and girls. The increase has occurred especially in self-harm by sharp objects.

Conclusion  Hospital-presenting self-harm has increased among Finnish youth. There is an urgent need to understand and intervene upon processes underlying these changes, since previous self-harm is a strong risk factor for suicide and is also associated with subsequent mental health problems, substance use and unemployment.

Joonas Pitkänen, Hanna Remes, Pekka Martikainen