Hundreds of children in Portsmouth are poisoning themselves or self-harming
INTENTIONAL self-poisoning or self-harm resulted in children being admitted to hospital in Portsmouth at least 226 times last year, figures show.
NHS Digital data shows there were between 226 and 232 admissions for self-harm or self-poisoning for children aged nine to 17 at in Portsmouth between 2020-21.
In 2019-20, there were around 220 hospitalisations.
And at least 235 admissions were recorded between April and November last year – in the first two-thirds of 2021-22.
Admissions are rounded to the nearest five, and exact numbers are not available when there are fewer than eight cases a year, to protect patient identity.
Olly Parker, head of external affairs at the mental health charity YoungMinds, was worried by the stats, which mirror a national rise. ‘It is deeply concerning to see that hospital admissions for self-harm admissions have risen to their highest since records began,’ he said.
‘The reasons why young people self-harm are often complex, but we know that traumatic experiences at a young age – like bereavement, bullying or abuse – can have a huge impact.’