In 2021, the number of new cases of self-harm among 12-year-old girls, with or without suicidal intent, increased by 80 percent compared to the previous year. Among girls in the 13-16 age group, the increase was between 40 and 50 percent. A total of 1,300 cases were reported in 2021.
Why the big increase happened in 2021 is, according to Peter Salmi, investigator at the National Board of Health and Welfare, difficult to answer.
– But there is some kind of indication that they have felt worse, or that it has come to the fore, during the latter phase of the pandemic, he says.
Return to school possible cause
Camilla Hallek, senior physician and specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry, believes that the increased use of social media during the pandemic may have been one of the reasons why more people felt psychologically worse in 2021.
According to Hallek, another reason could have been the loneliness when you had to be at home a lot – but also the return to school.
– Then there may be children and young people who are more vulnerable to it and who may find it difficult in the school environment.
Poisoning common
The increase is seen both among girls who have not previously received a psychiatric diagnosis and among those who have previously been diagnosed. If there is a dark story when it comes to young girls with self-harming behaviour, it is also difficult to answer, according to Peter Salmi.
– These girls often came to a somatic emergency department because it was often about poisoning, he says and continues:
– We know that paracetamol can be common, for example, that you take a lot of it.
“Tips” online
Camilla Hallek points out that it can be difficult for the youngest to know how to contact an adult – and that they can feel worried about what will happen if they tell them that they hurt themselves or think about suicide. She has also met children who received “tips” online about how they can harm themselves.
– It is so common knowledge now that if you feel really bad, it can happen more easily that you do something like that, she says.
– It is worrying that you get poisoned more often when you are 12-13 years old, it is really hard to see.
Hear Camilla Hallek’s advice to parents in the clip above.