Cases of self-harm among teenagers are rising to ‘epidemic’ proportions

CASES of self-harm among teenagers are rising alarmingly, with experts warning of “an epidemic”.

They are up 68 per cent since 2001 among girls aged 13 to 16, a British Medical Journal study found.

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And the Mental Health Foundation reports ten to 20 per cent of young people self-harm — with most starting at age 12.

A Manchester University study found self-harming was three times more common among girls than boys.

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Marjorie Wallace, of mental health charity Sane, said the rise was “shocking and startling”.

She added: “There is no doubt it has become an epidemic.

“It is not just the number but the severity of the injuries they are inflicting.”

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